Revenge
by Raderle
Summary: When Deeks is kidnapped and tortured, the team must find him before it's too late. Who has him and why did they take him? Why do they want the team to see his torture? This story has Densi and Nallen element and involves the whole team.
1. Prologue

REVENGE

Here's my new story. This takes place sometime after my story "Fever" and before "The End of Max Gentry". Get ready for plenty of angst, hurt and comfort. I promise to put Marty back in the same shape I found him in since he doesn't belong to me. My minions are rubbing their little hands in glee in anticipation of the new story. Just remember, they are the bloodthirsty little wretches, not me! I'm really a nice person…honest!

I want to thank the wonderful nherbie for being my beta on this story. She' a class act and has improved my writing immensely!

Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

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Prologue - Present Day (Day 12):

The blond-haired man was having trouble remembering how he had escaped from the room he had been held captive in for the last twelve days. He didn't even know how long he had been in that room. He couldn't remember his name or what city he was in. He kept hearing and seeing things that scared the hell out of him but he was unable to make any sense of them. The only constant in what he was seeing and hearing was the face and voice of his father; his sneer and angry eyes staring him in the face and his voice whispering to him in his head…that face and voice scared the hell out of him. They always had because fists, beatings and pain always followed behind the face and voice. There was a bad smell he would get a whiff of now and then but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. He didn't think it was him but then he wasn't sure of much of anything at the moment.

He stumbled along a sidewalk in a city he didn't recognize. His balance and mobility seriously impaired by the number of drugs in his system, but he didn't know that. All he knew was that his entire body hurt, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet and he couldn't understand why. If he had been more aware of himself or his surroundings he would have realized he was covered in blood from the beatings he'd endured, resulting in the many cuts and contusions he had. The blood had dripped down the sides of his face, through his beard and the back of his head beneath his hair. He would've realized his back, chest, arms and the soles of his feet were swollen, bruised, cut up and hurt like hell from all the abuse they had taken. There was both dried and fresh blood all over the shirt and sleep pants he had on. The whites of his normally crystal-clear, ocean-blue eyes were completely bloodshot; with the pupils blown so large only a tiny ring of blue could be seen. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days, maybe longer, while he and his clothes were in tatters and absolutely filthy.

The only coherent thoughts in his brain were to run; run as fast and as far as he could. All he knew at the moment was that he had to get away. Away from who or what he wasn't sure. The urge to run he felt was overwhelming and couldn't be ignored. If he could only get to the ferns he kept visualizing, he knew he would be safe. He didn't know why he felt that way, but the ferns gave him a sense of safety and peace he hadn't known for as long as he could remember. He was sure their shade would hide him from what was pursuing him. He kept staggering along the sidewalk, looking around to see if he knew where he was, but nothing looked familiar to him. He was stumbling into people as he tried to run; having trouble staying on his feet. He was waving his arms around trying to keep from falling all the while mumbling to himself. To anyone actually paying attention to him, he appeared to be one of those unfortunate souls who had lost their tenuous grip on reality and existed in a world of their own making.

As he continued staggering along, people stared at him and moved out of his way or physically shoved him away from them. There was no human kindness emanating from the people he encountered. There was no good will or love on display in the city of Los Angeles that morning. Some of the people he encountered looked away in disgust and assumed he was drunk or mentally ill. A few thought he was a bum or a pan handler, but no one, not one single person, made any effort to help him until an LAPD officer recognized him through the blood and filth he was covered in.

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Ben Davis was on his lunch break having picked up a sandwich from a nearby deli he frequented. He was on his way to a little park he knew close by to eat when he saw the dazed, bloody, filthy man staggering along the sidewalk in front of him. He took a good long look at him and did a double-take when he recognized him as Marty Deeks, a fellow police officer. Ben knew, as did every other LAPD officer, that Marty Deeks had been abducted and missing for almost two weeks now. He couldn't believe his eyes when he recognized the filthy man in front of him as Marty. He looked nothing like the Marty Ben knew. The man is front of him was a shell of his normal self. He was extremely emaciated; his frame nothing but bones covered by skin. He was bloody and filthy from head to foot. Ben shook his head in disbelief and thought _"My God Marty! What happened to you? You look like you've been to hell and back. Who would do something like this to you? Whoever it was is an inhuman bastard."_

Ben pulled out his radio and called into the station "I found Det. Deeks wandering down Robertson Blvd. He's disoriented and looks like he's about ready to collapse. Let Lt. Bates know and contact his NCIS team as well. They'll want to know he's been found. Send an ambulance to this location ASAP!" He then proceeded to give the dispatcher his exact location "I'm on the 1300 block of South Robertson Blvd, just north of West Pico Blvd. I'm on the left side of the street. Tell the ambulance that Deeks looks drugged to the gills, he's nothing but skin and bones and he's been severely beaten. There's blood everywhere. It looks like he has several head injuries and his feet are a mess!"

Ben took a step closer to Marty and put a gentle hand on his arm "Marty, it's good to see you man, even though you look like hell. There are a lot of people who are going to be very happy to see you. Can you tell me what happened to you, where you've been and who took you?"

The blond-haired man wrenched his arm away from the cop in terror and began backing away while yelling at him "Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Don…don touch me…I dinna do anything!…I…I…I…"

"Whoa Marty" Ben tried to calm him down. "Come on, you know me. I'm trying to help you here. It's Ben, Ben Davis. We've worked together many times before. Don't you remember? We're friends! We've been friends for years. You've been to my home for dinner and met my family." Deeks was looking at him, but Ben finally realized Marty didn't recognize him. His eyes were wide in terror with no sign of recognition in them. He was looking around in confusion as if he had no idea where he was. Ben was horrified at the shape Marty was in. He took another good look at him and, even though he knew it had been almost two weeks since Deeks disappeared, the man in front of him looked like it had been much longer than that. Deeks must have lost over 20 pounds from his already lean frame since he went missing. That was twenty pounds he could ill afford to lose. No wonder he was nothing but skin and bones. He looked like a strong wind could blow him away. His hair was limp and greasy, plastered against his forehead and longer than Ben had ever seen it. His beard was bushy making him look more like a mountain man than the California surfer he really was. His clothes were in tatters, his eyes wild with fear and he stank to high heaven.

Ben could see track marks up and down Deeks' arms where he had been injected repeatedly with drugs of some kind. And he knew Deeks would never take drugs willingly. _"What the hell! Who did this to you and why? You look like you've been starved, tortured and drugged to the gills on more than one occasion Marty. And I've never seen you as scared as you are right now. You look terrified!"_ Ben shook his head in anger. _"As God is my witness, we're going to catch the bastard or bastards who did this to you. I promise you Marty. No one deserves to be treated like this, especially you. We'll find them and if there is any justice in this world, they'll get what's coming to them. I would love to have a few minutes alone with whoever was involved in this when we catch them. I really do! I will take great pleasure in giving them some of their own medicine."_ If the people who had done this to Deeks had been in front of Ben at that moment, he thought he would have gladly killed them, cop or no cop.

Deeks continued backing away from Ben shaking his head and mumbling "I…I don know you. I…I don know…" He looked around in confusion again and Ben could tell he had no idea where he was. "Wh…where am I…what is this place? Do…do you know who I am, really? Am I this…this Deeks person?" He kept looking around hoping to recognize anything or anyone. Nothing looked familiar to him; everything looked like something out of a nightmare.

He looked back at Ben. "Are…are you real or…or…am I imagining you?…I can't…I…I…dunno. I k…k…keep hearing things…see…seeing my…my old man…but it's funny, you know…" he chuckled bitterly. "He's dead…supposed to be dead…sh…she told me…she did…she said th…that he…he…he died…car a…acc…accident."

Deeks' chuckle morphed into hysterical laughter which ended in sobs because he somehow knew deep within his mind he had been hallucinating earlier and thought he might still be. "He isn't though…h…he's n…not…not dead I mean…you know…" Deeks whispered to Ben from where he was standing. "I know b…be…because I can see him over there…right over there…he keeps…he's whispering to me…bad things…scary things." Deeks looked at Ben again while waving his hand to his left as though showing Ben where his father was standing. His body continued shaking uncontrollably. "He's gonna get me. He'll beat me again an…and shoot me then h…hu…hurt my mom. Don't let him see me, please….hide…I have to hide." Deeks begged backing away from Ben hoping to find somewhere to hide from his father.

Deeks was in a living nightmare. Everything around him was feeding his terror because none of it looked real. He couldn't see a straight line anywhere; everything was wavy and out of proportion. The only thought that seemed to help him at all was thinking about the ferns. He didn't know why, but thinking about the ferns…well, they felt like a refuge to him…someplace where he would be safe…they helped calm him a little but why they did so remained a mystery to him.

He wasn't sure of anything at the moment because he was hearing colors and seeing sounds again; they were weaving around him like ribbons; wrapping him up so he couldn't move. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest because he saw and heard his father everywhere he looked, as crazy as that sounded. Things around him were either wreathed in rainbows or else he saw them as grotesque shapes growing out of the ground and walls all around him then slowly transforming into a terrifying parody of his father holding the shotgun he had pointed at Marty…pointing it at him to shoot him again. Marty feared for his life every time he saw that gun and his father. He tried to hide, but he couldn't move and it terrified him. He kept cycling between laughing maniacally and letting out heartrending sobs while trembling like a leaf, as he tried to process everything around him.

Ben didn't know what to do to help Deeks. He began talking quietly to him again while praying the ambulance and his team would arrive soon. "You've been missing for almost two weeks. Everyone has been searching for you. Can you at least tell me what happened to you?" Ben reached out again to take Deeks' arm, but Deeks began screaming as he finally backed himself into a corner as far as possible between two buildings, slowly collapsing against the wall while drawing his knees up to his chest and putting his arms over his head repeating the phrase "No…no…leave me alone. You're not real…not real…why are you doing this to me? This is all a nightmare or I'm crazy. This isn't real…this can't be real. He's dead…he's dead…so why does he keep talking to me?"

He repeatedly hit himself in the head with his hands. "What's happening to me? I don't know you…but you say you know me. Why can't I remember you?" he whispered to himself. "Someone help me…please help me. Sam where are you? Come back Sam, come back. I can't find the ferns." all the while covering his head with his arms and continuing to laugh and cry at the same time.

Ben could see the tracks the tears made in the grime covering his face as they continuously slipped down his cheeks from his overflowing eyes. He got the impression Deeks might shake apart at any moment he was trembling so much. He didn't know what else he could do to comfort him so tried to be content keeping watch over him and making sure everyone gave both of them a wide berth. Anyone who looked like they might try to come closer to Deeks and Ben received a deadly glare from the cop protecting his friend.

" _Where the hell is his team and the ambulance? They should be here by now. I don't know how he is still alive let alone walking around. He needs to be in a hospital…sooner rather than later."_ He was worried, very worried. He was watching Deeks and could tell he was getting worse. He was positive there were hidden injuries he couldn't see on his friend besides the very visible ones caused by the fact he had been badly beaten and clearly starved. What he could see of Deeks' body looked horrible and Ben knew he needed to be in a hospital as soon as possible. He could see what looked like restraint marks on his wrists and ankles, a large contusion on his forehead, black eyes, split lips and quite a bit of matted blood in his hair with bruises, contusions and cuts over every part of his body that wasn't covered by his tattered blood-stained t-shirt and sleep pants. _"What the hell happened to you? I know you were abducted and there was talk around the precinct about you being tortured, but that was only rumors. This…this is so much worse than I could have imagined. How the hell did you survive? I've never seen anyone looking as bad as you do still walking around."_

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	2. Chapter 1 - Deeks Gets Help

Here's the next chapter.

I forgot to post this in the summary, but I will be posting a chapter a week, usually on Fridays or Saturdays.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thoughts are in italics.

I can't believe the number of reviews, favorites, and followers I've received for the prologue. Thanks go out to Krissy, BlondeLunaa, RhondaLara, emceejay; anonkp, ao88, Hoosier65, math123, judysam936 and sassyzazzi along with several guests. I think I've replied to all of you. If not, know that I appreciate all of you. You encourage me to write more.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy

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CHAPTER 1 - Deeks Gets Help

Ben continued his efforts to calm Deeks down without much success as he anxiously waited for help to arrive. He tried everything he could think of but nothing seemed to help. Deeks was in his own world, hiding in the corner talking to himself; mumbling words Ben couldn't understand. Every so often he would hit his head with his hands. Time seemed to pass glacially slow while he waited for the ambulance to arrive. Ben didn't think he had ever heard a sweeter sound than when he heard a car violently braking to a stop behind him. He looked over his shoulder and was never as happy to see someone in his life as he was at that moment. He recognized the people in the car as Deeks' NCIS team mates, feeling a sense of relief that the help he had been praying for had finally arrived. Now if only the ambulance would get there.

Callen, Sam and Kensi erupted from the car and rushed over to where Ben was standing, catching sight of Deeks cowering in the corner. All three of them lurched to a stop; staring in shock as they got their first good look at him in person after twelve long days and nights. Kensi's eyes pooled with tears as she slowly walked over to him, knelt down and tried to gather him into her arms. Her tears overflowed when he flinched away from her as soon as she touched him screaming "Leave me alone. Don…don hurt me any more, please…no more…no more…I can't take any more." while covering his face with his arms. She rocked back on her heels and quit trying to touch him, looking completely devastated as she turned to Sam and Callen for help. All she got back were identical looks of helplessness from the two men behind her. No one seemed to know what to do to help their friend and team mate.

Kensi took a deep breath trying to stop her tears; then turned back to Marty and began talking quietly to him. "It's me Marty, it's Kensi. You know me. Can you look at me? Come on Marty, look at me, _please_. We're partners; we've been partners for years now. I trust you in everything, and you've never let me down. In fact, you've trusted me far longer than I've trusted you. We have each other's backs, we always have. Remember? " Kensi waited and hoped she was getting through to him. It took what felt like forever before he finally responded to her.

Marty slowly brought his face out from beneath his arms to look at Kensi but one look into his troubled eyes and she could tell he didn't know her at that moment in time. _"I'm surprised you're even conscious"_ she thought. _"Your body must be overloaded with all the drugs that bastard has been giving you. I can barely see the blue in your eyes, your pupils are so huge. No wonder you don't know me. How in heaven's name did you get away from him? How are you even standing, let alone walking around? God, I want to wrap my arms around you; to hug you and make everything better."_ She knew being able to hug Marty was an unrealistic hope at the moment. _"It would probably freak you out even more than you already are. You need to be in a hospital. Look at you; there's blood everywhere and I can see you've been starved. I don't know what I'm going to do if you don't get better. You promised me Marty and so far you've kept that promise, so you keep fighting. I'll be right here with you now that we've got you back. I'll take such good care of you."_

Kensi was amazed he had managed to free himself after what he had endured, but then she knew Marty Deeks might look laid back without a care in the world. He showed everyone around him a jokester with a happy-go-lucky outlook on life but that was just a mask he wore to protect his heart and soul from being hurt. That's what he wanted everyone to think. It's why he was always throwing out smart-ass remarks, quips and jokes; but beneath that outward appearance was a stubborn streak a mile wide along with more courage and pure bravery than any ten men combined. Besides that, he was loyal to a fault. He always put other peoples' needs before his own. He had promised her he would never leave her willingly and would try his best to not get killed so that was what he would try to do. She knew that was part of what had sustained him; his promise to her. She wished he remembered her, but even if he didn't right then, she was hoping he would somehow instinctively know that he could trust her. "You trust me don't you? I want to help you. Will you let me help you Marty?"

Marty continued looking at the woman in front of him without recognition. He then mumbled something that sounded like "Can I trust you? I…I don know you…I don kn…know any of you…I have…I have to run, f…f…find a safe place, find the ferns." Increasingly incoherent from all the drugs in his system, all Marty could think of was 'run'. He continued looking around searching for someone he knew; searching for Sam. His anxiety level increased exponentially when he couldn't see Sam anywhere. "Where's Sam?" he looked at Kensi beseechingly. "I…I…need Sam. Can…can you find Sam and tell him I need him?"

"Sam's right over there, see?" Kensi pointed to Sam.

Sam gave Deeks a smile and a small wave. "Hey Deeks, you remember me? I'm Sam, Sam Hanna. I'm part of your team Marty." Deeks shook his head 'no' then turned back to look at Kensi with a frown on his face.

"No…no…he's not…not Sam. Not my Sam. Where's my Sam?" He looked around some more and all at once seemed to focus on something over Kensi's head. "Sam, help me _please_ ," he called out, his feelings of panic increasing with every passing moment. "Who are these people?…I don't know them…do I? I don't think I do…I…I can't remember. What happened to me?" He once again began smacking himself in the head with his hands. "Why…why can't I re…remember?…help me Sam, please." Marty begged with tears filling his eyes.

As Marty continued talking to 'his' Sam, Kensi looked at Sam and Callen completely confused. There was no one around Marty except them and the police officer. She had no idea who he was talking to if it wasn't their Sam. Never once had he ever mentioned anyone else named Sam to her. _"Who could he mean? Who is this Sam person he keeps trying to find?"_ She could tell Sam and Callen had no idea who the 'Sam' Deeks was talking about was either; both shrugged their shoulders when she looked at them.

Marty kept whispering to himself as he tried unsuccessfully to push himself even further back into the corner. "Ferns…I have to…to f…fi…find the ferns." The urge to run began to build up again; his thoughts turning violent as he tried to find some way to do what Sam had told him to do, which was to get away, to run until he was safe. He quit talking as the rage began building in his mind from the latest doses of the drugs he had been given. The urge to run, to get away, finally overwhelmed him again with a vengeance and Marty couldn't control himself any longer.

He exploded from the corner he was cowering in; trying to get away from the team and what he thought they would do to him if he let them touch him. He started screaming again, "not going to let you hurt me! no more…no more…I…I can't take it any more…no more pain…I have to go…let me go!"

He began fighting, throwing punches at everyone around him to get them to back away from him. Sam recognized the martial arts move Deeks initiated and pulled Kensi away before he could make the move that would have put her on the ground and possibly hurt her badly. Deeks tried to slip by Callen and Sam so he could run while all the time the thoughts were circling in his brain. _"…have to run. Sam said to run…to run…find someone to help me…don't think these people are gonna help. I'm in danger…he's gonna get me if I don't get away…don't know you people… you're lying to me…I don't know you! Get away, I have to get away!"_

Both men grabbed Deeks before he could slip by them, trying to be as gentle as possible as they pushed him back up against the wall. They attempted to restrain him without hurting him but in his current state of mind, he wasn't cooperating with them at all. "Lemme go! You're hurting me!" Deeks yelled as he continued to fight them. "Leave me alone…I have to get away like Sam said…have to run and hide in the ferns or the bad man will get me again…If I run, I'll be safe! Lemme go!" He was throwing punches, squirming and kicking both Sam and Callen to get them to let him go without success.

His behavior only became more violent as they continued trying to calm him down. Sam was talking to him quietly in an attempt to get him to recognize them. "We're trying to help you Deeks. We're your friends…your friends! We aren't going to hurt you!" Sam kept repeating himself but could tell Deeks wasn't processing what he was saying. His eyes were wild with fear and nothing anyone said seemed to get through to him.

Neither Sam nor Callen could believe how incredibly strong he was. He shouldn't have been able to stand up, let alone fight, but he was fighting them with everything he had in him and it was quite a lot at the moment. Both of them were afraid he was going to hurt himself or them if he kept fighting. Sam and Callen traded glances then Sam reluctantly moved to take Deeks down.

He put the younger man into a sleeper hold and hung on to him until he quit fighting and Sam could feel his body grow limp. He carefully pulled his arm away from around Deeks' neck while holding onto him and gently lowering him to the ground as he slipped into unconsciousness. Kensi knelt back down beside him and put his head in her lap. She started carding her fingers through his hair while tears once again began to slip down her face. "What was he talking about before he started swinging? Did either of you hear what he said? I could swear he said something about needing to find ferns. Do you think he meant me but didn't realize it?"

"I heard him Kensi, but he's so out of it, I'm not sure what he meant." Sam didn't want to crush her hopes, but he didn't want her to get them too high either. There was a long hard road ahead of all of them before Deeks would recover and become the man they knew; if he could recover. All Sam knew was he would be with Deeks every step of the way and so would the rest of the team They wouldn't let him go through this alone.

The welcome sound of the ambulance arriving made all four people concerned about Deeks look up in relief.

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The ambulance attendants pulled up to the curb, jumped out and hurried over to the group around Deeks introducing themselves. "I'm Mike Donaldson and this is my partner Leanne Sykes."

Mike began examining Deeks, while Leanne recorded what he found, as he asked Sam "Can you tell us anything about what happened to him?"

"He was abducted twelve days ago and has been repeatedly drugged and tortured. He's been beaten with fists, a whip and a cane. The whip was used on his back and the cane was used over his entire body including the soles of his feet. We witnessed him being shocked with a cattle prod. That's what those round burns are from. He's been force fed or injected with various unknown drugs the entire time he's been missing."

"And how do you know this?" Mike interrupted Sam's recital of Deeks' injuries.

"We know because the monster who took him kept sending us videos showing him torturing Deeks; doing everything I mentioned. Deeks looks like he's lost about 30 pounds. He's always been lean, but now he looks like a skeleton. My guess is he's been starved the entire time he's been missing. We think one of the drugs he was forced to take is PCP. When we were trying to subdue him without hurting him, he was extremely combative and a hell of a lot stronger than he should have been. He's also having hallucinations or delusions so maybe he was injected with some kind of hallucinogen as well. His memory of the abduction and what's happened to him over the last twelve days appears to be nonexistent. He doesn't know who or where he is or who we are and we've been working together for five years now." Sam shook his head as he thought of everything Deeks had been through.

Mike continued to examine Marty while Sam described everything they had seen him subjected to. Sam recited what he knew about Deeks' condition in a hoarse tone of voice because his throat was tight with rage. He felt like he was literally shaking apart inside he was so angry. His jaws were clenched tightly and his hands were fisted at his sides to keep himself from punching the wall in front of him. Seeing Marty's condition in living color was so much worse than seeing it in a video. Sam forgot that Callen was the one man everyone worried about going rogue; all he could think about was finding the man who had done this to his friend and making sure he never hurt anyone else as long as he lived.

When Sam finished telling Mike what the team knew about Marty's condition, Mike thanked him then continued reporting what he was finding during his exam for Leanne to document. "Leanne, I can feel multiple contusions to the back of his head along with some swelling. There is at least one large one and several smaller ones that have bled at various times. His hair is matted with dried blood. There is bruising and several small contusions to both temples. His pupils are blown which could be the result of the drugs he's been given. At the very least he has a concussion; let's hope he doesn't have a fractured skull. Both eyes are black and swollen. The concussion along with all the drugs Sam mentioned could be the cause of his memory problems. He has cuts and bruises on his face that appear to have been inflicted over many days. Some appear half healed and some very new. His temperature is 102 degrees and his heart rate is 110. His blood pressure is 155 over 100."

Kensi had been hovering next to Marty watching everything Mike was doing. When she realized Mike kept talking about the 'patient' and 'him', she interjected "Marty, his name is Marty."

Mike glanced at Kensi. "Okay. Leanne, Marty has been severely beaten as has been mentioned. I'm not 100% sure but I think there may be some internal bleeding. I feel three cracked ribs on the right and two on the left with at least one broken rib on that side. There is bruising over his entire body, some of it old and some new. His back is a mess. There are welts and deep slashes criss-crossing his entire back and reaching around to his sides. The welts are raw and some are still bleeding as well. His feet are swollen and bleeding. The skin on his wrists and ankles has been abraded by something and is raw and bleeding. He's flushed but his skin is dry. He's very dehydrated. The fever he's running isn't surprising since I can see that some of the older cuts and burns are infected, especially those on his back.

"I'm starting two IV's of saline to combat the dehydration." Mike looked at Leanne. "Let's wrap and run as soon as I get the IVs in place. He needs to be seen by a doctor and fast." From what Mike had been told, he was sure Marty's dehydration was the result of a combination of little water, the drugs in his system and the fever he was suffering from. Mike noted his heart was racing and his pulse was thready. He had trouble finding a vein that didn't collapse the minute he tried to insert the needle for the IV. After several tries on both arms, he managed to get the two IVs in place. He and Leanne then moved Marty to a gurney and with Sam and Callen's help, loaded him into the back of the ambulance.

Kensi followed right after and climbed up behind Mike. "I'm going with him" she told him in no uncertain terms. He started to refuse to let her ride with him, but one look at her face and he thought better of it.

"Fine. Sit there and don't get in my way."

"Where are you taking him?" Callen asked.

"We're taking him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center." Leanne replied. "It's the closest and has one of the best trauma centers in the state."

"We'll be right behind you."

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	3. Chapter 2: Day 1: Calm Before the Storm

And I'm back with chapter 2.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thoughts are in quotes and italics. Dialog from the show is in bold-face type and quotes.

Thanks so much to everyone who has left a review. I believe I've replied to all of you, but if not, know that I appreciate every one of them. Reviews feed my soul and make my minions dance around the room in happiness. They inspire me to do my best and try to get better with every story.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 2 - Day 1: Calm Before the Storm

The morning light was shining through the window into Marty's bedroom and warming the two people asleep in each others' embrace when the alarm woke Kensi. She opened her eyes to find herself wrapped in Marty's arms, spooning with him. Her ass was tucked snuggly against his groin while his face was nestled into the space between her neck and shoulder. She and Marty hadn't gotten home from work the previous evening until quite late; then had stayed up for several more hours since she insisted on watching an episode…or two…of Top Model before calling it a night.

Once in bed, there was an epic encounter that left them both breathing heavily and tangled up in each other. As their breathing eased, they untangled themselves and cuddled together; both drifting off to sleep in a matter of minutes. As a result they had only been asleep for about 4 hours when the alarm went off. She would have liked nothing better than to spend the day in bed with him, but it was a work day, so instead of going back to sleep she lay there for a while looking at the man sleeping beside her.

She thought again about all the time they had wasted dancing around each other while trying to deny their true feelings; well, her mostly. He had made it clear almost from the start how he felt about her. It still amazed her how he had managed to burrow his way through all of her defenses and take up residence in her heart without her realizing it until it was a fait accompli. He had patiently waited for her to overcome her fears and insecurities. There had been bumps along the road of their partnership/relationship; most notably, the Sidorov case and her time in Afghanistan. It took both of them time to recover from their respective traumas but they had succeeded. She had been there with him after his torture and he had always been there for her. She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't been there silently supporting her after Afghanistan.

Her heart overflowed with joy as she thought about last Christmas at the ice rink. She had finally admitted her feelings for him. She had told him after several tries **"A…Alone, we're bold, we're brash, we can move mountains. And together we're Um - We're safe."**

He had agreed with her and she hadn't failed to see the look of devastation on his face because he thought she was ending their 'thing'.

She had continued **"I want to be bold, Deeks. But I want to be bold with you."**

He'd smiled as they agreed to take the next step in their relationship. She remembered saying 'All in' just before he kissed her. She was amazed once again to have found a love as profound as it was with Marty. Now they were basically living together, but keeping it quiet because they wanted to prove to Hetty and Granger they could separate their work lives as partners from their personal lives as a couple.

Before he burst into her life and turned it upside down and inside out, she had resigned herself to growing old alone. She had her work and her work friends she could spend time with, but other than that she was alone and thought she was content with her life as it was. She had few friends outside of NCIS because she couldn't be honest with them. Even her closest girl friends didn't know what she did for a living and the lies she was forced to tell them weighed on her every day.

She went to work each day then came home to an empty apartment filled with her clutter and mementos of a life that was actually on hold. She wasn't really living life; she was only going through the motions. She didn't think she needed or deserved anything else. She had been scarred so badly by Jack that she was afraid to love again. All the men in her life left her in one way or another and as a result she had sworn off love. She built what she thought was an impregnable fortress around her heart that would protect it and her from being hurt again by a man. She had an iron-clad 'no second dates' rule but when she needed a release, she would go out dancing. She could lose herself in the music while she danced and if a handsome man convinced her to go home with him, she also had her sexual needs fulfilled. She never stayed the night beside any man but would leave once they had both been satisfied. It wasn't love but it scratched an itch.

Watching him sleep, she still didn't understand how he had been able to put up with her and all of her insecurities and fears; not only had he put up with them, but he'd found a way through those supposedly impenetrable walls. Before she knew what was happening, he was already inside of them worming his way into her heart. She had fought it and denied that it was anything other than passing lust, but the man beside her wouldn't let her get away with being scared. He drove her crazy on a daily basis with his constant babble, jokes and smart-ass remarks not to mention the cheesy nicknames he came up with for her. Sometimes she wanted to stuff a sock in his mouth to shut him up but when he had to go undercover for LAPD, she missed him and the sound of his voice every second he was gone. It had taken her a long time to figure out why. He pushed her from the very beginning but also knew when to back off until she was able to face the truth; that she was worth loving and that he would never willingly leave her. He was the first man who could see through her bullshit; not only see through it but call her on it as well. It had been scary when she realized just how well he knew her. He knew when she needed sugar or when he needed to back off and give her a little room. It never ceased to amaze her.

She wriggled around slowly being very careful not to disturb his sleep. She lay there on her side watching his face as he burrowed his head into his pillows when she noticed his nose was twitching. Her face lit up in a soft smile as she realized how much she loved seeing that look on his face because it meant he was happy. Watching him sleep with his nose twitching brought back memories of when they were undercover as Melissa and Justin.

It had been nice, very nice, to go to sleep beside him and to wake up to find the two of them cuddling together. She had admitted it felt good having someone to be with when she woke up in the morning and when she went to bed at night. It was during that undercover operation she first kissed him. When he wanted to talk about the kiss, she insisted it was only a cover kiss, but to herself she admitted it was more than that. Even in his surprise, his kiss had warmed her core and tightened certain areas of her body. It was during that mission she began thinking about having a family someday. He responded by intimating he had the equipment, since he _was_ the husband and _male_ , to help her make some little mutant ninja assassins. She wondered how much farther the conversation would have progressed if the brat next door hadn't shattered the bay window with his sling shot.

His body was a golden tan from all the surfing he did and his scent was perfection as far as she was concerned. His unique scent which could not only drive her wild, but calm her down as well, consisted of his normal body odor, his deodorant, sand and salt water. She had never smelled anything quite like it on any other man. It was why she loved stealing his shirts. There was something about having his scent all around her that made her feel safe and loved. If she was honest with herself, his scent could make her toes curl in desire. Something else she would never admit voluntarily. She brushed a lock of his hair back off his forehead and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, whispering, "Wake up sleepy head. Come on, it's time to get up Marty. We have to get to work."

He buried his head more deeply in his pillows. "Nooo…please…don't want to…too early…not enough sleep…stay here with me…five more minutes 'kay?" came the sleepily whispered words as his arm went back around her waist trying to keep her close to him.

She leaned closer and blew into his ear causing him to brush ineffectively at her. "Don't do that…tickles…umm trying to sleep here."

"Come on Marty. Up and at 'em. The day's not getting any younger, partner." She tousled his hair, then stood up from the bed pulling all the covers off him as she did so, dumping them onto the floor. Once the covers were on the floor, she took in the sight of his naked body. A shiver ran down her spine. Seeing him naked always did that to her. She looked at his butt, _"God his butt is gorgeous. I'd love to kiss it, but if I do, I know we won't get to work at all today."_ She stood there taking in the sight of his naked body for a moment longer before smacking him lightly on the butt then proceeding into the bathroom her shower.

Marty jerked as the cold hit his naked body then jumped at the slap to his butt with a whine. "Really…really? Not nice Sunshine! Not nice at all. You do know it's cold in here, really cold; and I'm naked…in the cold, don't you? I don't like to be cold when I'm naked." He continued whining as he followed her into the shower.

~,~,~

Ten minutes later, Marty was ready for another day of chasing down bad guys and in the kitchen making coffee for the two of them while Kensi finished getting dressed. She joined him a few minutes later, discovering he had already filled travel mugs with hot coffee and had another cup waiting for her on the counter. "What, no breakfast this morning? You haven't made anything for me to eat?"

"Nope." He popped the"p". "There's only coffee this morning, sorry sugarbear."

She took a sip of the coffee in her mug and once again found he had made her coffee just the way she liked it; but then he always did.

"Mmmm, Marty, you make the best coffee, just the way I like it." Her eyes were closed in bliss as she savored the first cup of her day. "You can make coffee for me any time."

"Well, since you don't cook I usually do make the coffee. You also like me to cook for you all the time Princess. However, I don't mind, we're partners and, dare I say it, lovers. What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine, right? I aim to please my baby girl."

"Then why haven't you made me breakfast?" She sounded perplexed.

"There's no time for me to make you anything this morning Kens, but I'll buy you donuts on the way to work to make up for it, okay?"

"There had better be a lot of donuts then Deeks." She retorted while thinking just how sexy he sounded whenever he called her 'Kens'. His voice would get huskier and lower than usual when he said it in just that way that always caused a shiver of delight and desire to run through her body.

He continued "So…you like my coffee…but you keep me around for more than just good coffee don't you?" He was trying his best to look pathetic but his ocean-blue eyes were twinkling and his lips were quirked up in a slight grin as he posed the question.

"Well…let me think…" she teased him.

"Come on sugarbear, don't be mean to me this morning. You know you love all this awesomeness." He waved his hands down his body. "Besides, we're not going to be seeing each other tonight, remember. It's our night apart."

She rolled her eyes, "I know that. I was going to say…before I was so rudely interrupted mister!...that some donuts from Riley's sounds heavenly this morning. We can stop there on our way to work. We haven't been there in several weeks and they have the best cream-filled ones. They're to die for." She stopped talking then, waiting for the pout to appear on his face before continuing. "Oh, and by the way, I keep you around for a variety of reasons, not just for your coffee making skills." Her voice was low and sultry as she replied while slowly looking him over from head to toe. He could feel his face flushing slightly while heat radiated throughout his body as he thought of the many reasons she was hinting at.

He never tired of looking at her. For him, she was the most beautiful creature on the face of the earth. He asked himself many times how he got so lucky as to have not only found her, but captured her heart. He had known from the moment he saw her in the MMA gym that he was a goner. He had fought it but to no avail. He hadn't been looking for a commitment when she walked into his life. One night stands or casual sex with a friend was enough as far as he was concerned. He never thought he would ever want to commit to a single woman. If he was honest with himself, he never felt he was worthy of that kind of love. His father had beat any feelings of worth out of him as a very small boy. It had taken years and his adoptive father, Samuel Deeks, for him to begin to recover from his abusive childhood. He'd discovered early in life that he was attracted to strong women. However, the women he had dated before Jess Traynor always ended up wanting to be taken care of completely which always turned him off. So he had sworn off dating until Jess. After she died, well, he had already met Kensi and was no longer on the market so to speak.

There was just something about her that got to him from the very beginning. It wasn't that she was sexy, though she was. It wasn't that she had a body women would sell their souls for; it was more than that. She was beautiful both inside and out and she didn't even realize it. Her two-toned eyes were mysterious, her hair was long and wavy, plus she was smart, strong and could kick ass with the best of them. But Kensi Marie Blye was more than the sum of her parts and he thanked his lucky stars every day that she returned his love. It had taken a long time and a lot of patience on his part before he got through the wall around her heart, but it had been worth every frustrating minute.

"Well played Kensalina…well played. But you think I'm amazing, don't you. Uncle Marty knows all so you might as well admit it. Come on, you know you want to."

"Eeww! That's just gross…Uncle Marty sounds like some perv that preys on little girls." She shuddered theatrically. "Now, plain old Marty Deeks, cop and NCIS liaison, that's another story. That Marty…well I know that Marty is absolutely amazing. You are awesome…last night was a very good example of how awesome you can be when you try."

"We were great together last night weren't we Kens? I know it was earth-shattering for me." He wrapped his arms around her waist while she reached up and began playing with the soft curls at the nape of his neck. She knew it drove him wild when she did that and she wasn't above teasing him with her touch.

His eyes darkened at her touch until they were a stormy blue as one hand sought out one of her breasts to stroke while the other moved down and cradled her ass pulling her to him. "How about now? Am I amazing or awesome now? You know…" he whispered softly as he began planting soft wet kisses behind her ear. "We should discuss it some more…I think I need to examine every delicious inch of you to make sure we're on the same page here." He continued kissing her softly then moved to her neck and began laying wet kisses there, continuing down and unbuttoning the top two buttons of her shirt so he could kiss the top of her breast while kneading it gently. He began sucking the skin of her breast hoping to mark it so show she was his. Two could play the game of seduction and he was a master at the game. His voice became lower and huskier the longer he talked while his body responded to everything she was doing, letting her know just how turned on he was getting.

She controlled herself with more than a little difficulty. She pulled away slightly so she could look in his eyes. "How about we get going to work before we're late." She shivered seeing the look of disappointment flicker across his face at the mention of work. She knew what he had been thinking of, because she had been thinking the same thing. "You know if we don't get our butts out of here right now, we're going to end up in bed again and be really late for work. Not that it wouldn't be worth it, but I don't feel like facing Hetty's wrath today." she continued.

"Aw, come on Kens, you know you want to" he rasped in a throaty voice, giving her his puppy dog eyes through his bangs. He had his head tilted just so because he knew she had trouble resisting him when he gave her that particular look. "Carpe Diem; seize the day. Let's live dangerously and seize this moment. We'll take each other to paradise."

She ignored the look on his face, albeit with much difficulty "Come on yourself, sweet-cheeks…we'll discuss how amazing you are in great detail tomorrow night. We'll seize the moment then...or maybe two or even three moments. And they will be good…very, very good." she replied as she kissed him in return.

"Why wait until tomorrow night, can't we discuss it tonight? Please? Pretty please?" He begged, hoping that she'd change her mind about spending the night away from him.

"Did you forget we're spending the night apart?"

"No…I didn't forget…but you could…you…you can change your plans can't you? Just this once? For me? I'll miss you so much tonight Kens." He was running his hands softly up and down her back trying to convince her.

"Deeks" she sighed. "I can't change my plans. I would if I could, but I've already made the reservation to meet with my girlfriends tonight at Hoolihan's and it wouldn't be right to back out on them at the last minute. You can see that can't you baby?"

"Damn it…no you're right. It's just that I wanted to see you tonight, all of you…naked…and in my bed. I had such plans for us…but I get it and I understand. It would be rude to blow them off. I guess that means you can't reschedule, huh? That just…that sucks, seriously, it sucks big time…well, shit!"

~,~,~


	4. Chapter 3: Days 1 & 2: Abduction

My minions are rubbing their little hands in glee in anticipation of the coming mayhem. They are bloodthirsty little wretches, not me!

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thoughts are in italics.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 3 - Days 1 and 2: Paperwork and Abduction

It had been quiet at OSP the last couple of days which was a break from back to back cases. The break gave the team the chance to catch up on the never-ending paperwork. They hated it, but it wouldn't get done by ignoring it so they spent the day catching up on their after-action reports from several different cases they had closed previously. Paperwork always made for a long day, but was a necessary part of their jobs. Sam was plowing through his in an effort to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible, actually sighing every once in a while. Callen would read over a report several times, then quickly scribble something down and put the file in his out basket. Kensi was pouring over her after-action reports, trying to ensure that all the 't's were crossed and the 'i's dotted. Every once in a while she reached in and absently grabbed a snack from the stash Deeks kept full for her.

Deeks was working quickly and efficiently getting through twice as much paperwork as the rest of them. It was one of the few times his background as a lawyer came in handy at NCIS. He knew how to fill out forms and generate reports. Of course, he had to be efficient since he had twice as much paperwork to complete as the rest of them.

He even had more reports to complete than Callen did as team leader because he had to fill out two forms for every case he was involved in; one for NCIS and another for LAPD. LAPD was only interested in the facts, just the facts; the what, where, how, who and when; while NCIS wanted all those facts and in addition the why; what everyone was thinking about; the approach taken to solve the case and any other information pertinent to it for training purposes; nothing LAPD wanted Whenever he became bored or tired, he would throw out some ridiculous comment hoping to get a response from someone or else he would make a quip, smart-ass remark or joke to get everyone to lighten up, at least for a moment or two. He was in rare form that morning, getting everyone laughing at one time or another. Even though they all denied it and gave him a hard time about it every chance they got, they all appreciated his banter. The team had been much more serious before Deeks joined them. He was able to lighten the atmosphere and get everyone to relax a bit even when things were going badly. It made the days go by a little faster.

It was Kensi's turn to pick up food for lunch so when it was time she asked what everyone wanted. Writing down the replies, she was about to head out alone when Deeks offered to go with her and help. As they were walking down the tunnel to the front door, she bumped his hip with hers giving him a grin. "Thanks Deeks."

"Anything for you sugarbear." he grinned.

"And there it is, my annoying partner and his stupid nicknames for me." Kensi rolled her eyes and continued. "Do you always have to call me some ridiculous nickname Deeks?" Secretly she loved the names he called her, but she would never admit that, especially around the other two members of the team.

"You love my nicknames for you, admit it, Kens." he replied as he returned the hip bump. "I know these things about you."

"No I don't, you don't know me that well. I put up with them is all. I don't want to hurt your feelings in front of the guys. We all know you're delicate." She laughed with the cackle mixed in he loved so much.

"I'm not delicate" Deeks sputtered. "I'm a jungle cat and cats are graceful, dangerous predators."

They continued their banter as they proceeded out of the mission building. Once they were out of view of any of the cameras, he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her thoroughly. "I told you I was a jungle cat." He growled when he came up for air. "And now I've caught my prey. I missed this; I've been wanting to kiss you all morning." He leaned in for another amazing kiss.

"Marty, they might see us!" Kensi gasped as he began running his hands down and around her body, gently grabbing the ass he always found captivating. Kensi had a lovely ass and in the skintight jeans she was currently wearing, her lovely ass was showcased. Knowing she was his, every magnificent inch of her, awed and amazed him every time he thought about it.

"No they won't. I know where all the cameras are. No one can see us; we're in a blind spot."

"Yeah, maybe. But let's not push our luck. I don't want Hetty to have any reason to separate us again. Let's just go pick up lunch and bring it back for everyone."

"Just wait until I get you alone Fern. I have such plans for you. You'll be putty in my hands." He raised his eyebrows while his eyes twinkled.

"Hold that thought Marty. I expect to be impressed with what you have planned." Kensi pushed him away from her gently as she climbed into the driver's side of her car. He loped around the back and slid into the passenger seat. They picked up lunch for everyone but only after Kensi convinced him to get what everyone asked for. Deeks wanted to bring back sandwiches from a new food truck that was supposed to use all organic ingredients that were good for the body, but Kensi vetoed that; reminding him of the last time he had done so as they were walking back to her car after the last stop.

"Those PB&J sandwiches looked horrible, Marty. No one even tasted them. They looked like something pulled out of a garbage bin."

"They were made with organic hazelnut butter with a mango-chutney marmalade on organic bread. How was I to know they would taste terrible?"

Kensi stopped dead in her tracks and gave him a look of utter disbelief. "You actually tasted one of them? You're either braver or dumber than I thought you were."

"Aw Kens…really? That hurts partner, a lot." Deeks got in the car and pouted all the way back to OSP.

~,~,~

Callen and Sam were relieved when they found out they had gotten what they ordered. After everyone ate their lunch, they went back to work. The afternoon proceeded much like the morning had; paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork. By the end of the day, everyone felt like their eyes were crossed and their fingers cramped from so much typing, but they had made great progress in catching up on the dreaded paperwork. As they got ready to leave for the evening, Callen spoke up.

"Anyone for up drinks? My treat." He didn't treat everyone to drinks very often but after the day they had just finished, drinks sounded good to him.

"I'm in for one drink" Sam said. "Then I need to get home to Michelle and Kamran. I'm helping my little princess with a school project tonight and I don't want to disappoint her." It had been a long, tiring day and he was looking forward to getting home to his girls. Kamran wouldn't be a little girl forever and he cherished the time he could spend with her. And happily, once she was in bed he could give his 'other' girl some very special attention.

"Not me. I'm meeting some girlfriends for a girl's night out. We're going out for dinner and dancing." Kensi was looking forward to the evening though she knew she would miss being with Deeks. Their one night apart a week was actually helping make the other nights even more special but she was beginning to realize she would rather spend all of her time with him.

"I'm in for one drink as well" came from Deeks. "Then I'm going to be spending a quiet evening with my dog. I'm taking him to the beach for some much needed exercise and then it's home for both of us."

Callen called up to Nell and Eric as they appeared at the top of the stairs. "Do you two want to come for a drink with us?"

"Not me Callen, I have things to do at home." Nell replied, giving him a quick look that no one but he noticed. He suddenly realized his pants were slightly snug at the moment thinking to himself he was glad he already had his jacket on or he might have been rather embarrassed.

"Thanks but I'm meeting some buddies, maybe next time," Eric was looking forward to meeting with a few of his gaming friends.

Goodnights were exchanged and the guys went one way while Kensi, Nell and Eric parted company, each looking forward to their evening.

~,~,~

Monty was waiting at the door when Marty arrived home from the bar the guys had visited. He let him out to do his business and then fed him while grabbing an energy bar to tide him over until he got back from the beach. He took Monty for the promised walk to the beach and let him chase the gulls and the frisbee he brought with them. He always loved watching his dog romping around in the sand and having fun. Monty was a great companion and gave him unconditional love. He had never regretted rescuing him after he developed doggy PTSD. No matter how bad his day might have been, coming home to Monty helped him decompress and regain his balance. They spent a good hour playing before the dog dropped the frisbee on the blanket in front of him, lay down and rolled over for a tummy rub. Marty spent a few minutes rubbing his tummy before saying "I guess that's my clue we're done for the evening huh, Monty? Let's go home boy." Monty heaved himself to his feet to follow his master home.

When they reached home, he made dinner for himself, fed Monty a snack, then spent a quiet evening reading and playing his violin. Even though the day had been spent on paperwork at OSP, he found himself ready for bed at the relatively early hour of 11 pm and decided to call it a night. He locked up the apartment, checked the windows, turned off all the lights and hit the sack. He planned to be up bright and early in the morning to get in some surfing before work. The weather report said the waves were going to be awesome and he had seen the gulls coming in; he was looking forward to hitting the beach in the morning.

Before too long, he was asleep dreaming of Kensi. It was a good night and a wonderful dream and his nose was twitching as it always did when he was happy.

~,~,~

Harry Denton was a mountain of a man. He had been a big child and was an even bigger man as an adult. He stood 6 foot 6 inches tall and weighed 350 pounds. His arms were muscular and his legs looked like tree trunks. He had been a follower his entire life. When he was young, he followed his older brother and his friends until his brother ran away at 16 and disappeared from his life. By then, he was involved in a gang of kids that robbed homes instead of going to school. He would do whatever the leader of the pack he was with told him to do. He was the perfect soldier. He never made much money from the robberies he was involved in but he got enough to keep him in beer and cigarettes.

As the kids went their separate ways after high school; some ended up in prison, some dead and a few lucky ones; those who turned their lives around; became productive citizens. Not so Harry; he kept floating through life looking for the easy way to get money or whatever else he wanted or needed. He didn't have a lot of imagination so he always looked to others for ideas on how to get what he wanted. It was the reason he was never the leader of whoever he ran around with but instead was the follower. He met the man who would become his boss when his luck ran out at 25 and he landed in prison. He was sentenced to 5 years for several armed robberies and once incarcerated, latched onto the first person who would give him the time of day. He became the man's unofficial gofer and bodyguard. His size stood him in good stead as a bodyguard because no one wanted to mess with him. He was able to keep his boss safe and in return, his boss did his thinking for him and told him what to do.

James Madison, known by everyone around him as Jimmy, had known Harry since they were both children. At that time, they didn't run with the same crowd but knew of each other. As other kids they both knew disappeared from their lives, Harry and Jimmy began spending more time together. Where Harry was a huge man, Jimmy was only 5 foot 11 inches tall. He was a lean hard looking man though with a reputation as a dirty fighter. He had what looked like a military hair cut with a chiseled jaw. There were scars on his knuckles indicating he had been in his share of fights, fights he usually won. Harry was several years older than Jimmy and Jimmy idolized him.

Jimmy followed Harry around until Harry was sent to prison. Harry introduced Jimmy to his boss who recruited him to serve as low-level muscle. He ran errands for him and did anything else asked of him. While the boss was serving time, he had Jimmy keep watch on a cop that he hated. Jimmy kept him informed of what was happening in Marty Deeks' life before and after he too ended up serving a one-year sentence for an unarmed robbery. He would have gotten a longer sentence, but it was considered his first offense. Jimmy didn't understand the boss's obsession with the cop, but he was very good at following orders. Like Harry, without someone to tell him what to do, he was lost so he was a perfect gofer. As far as he was concerned, if the boss wanted to know everything about Marty Deeks then he would find out everything he could and pass it along.

Harry had been on parole for a little over year when he helped his boss escape from jail. Since then the boss had been making plans to get back at the person he felt had ruined his life; Marty Deeks. He sent Harry to keep an eye on him and report back with his routine. The night Marty went home alone was the night the boss decided to send Harry and Jimmy to kidnap him. They cruised up and down Deeks' neighborhood watching and waiting for the right time to make the kidnapping attempt. Neither one of them wanted to let their boss down. They were getting worried when Deeks didn't show up until later than usual and were relieved when he finally arrived home. They followed him to the beach and watched as he played with his dog; then followed him back home and waited until they felt sure he was asleep before making the attempt.

~,~,~

Marty had been dreaming of Kensi when something woke him up around 2 am. He lay in bed trying to figure out what the sound was he heard coming from somewhere in the front of his apartment. He lay in bed trying to figure out if it was outside or if someone was actually in his living room. He slowly reached over for his gun staying as quiet as possible when he heard Monty growl. Before he could get his gun and get to the living room he heard Monty growl again and then give a high-pitched squeal of pain before he heard him hit the floor.

" _What the hell? That was Monty yelping. Some asshole's in my apartment. Monty must have tried to stop him and whoever it is hurt him. He hurt my dog! He'd better be okay or whoever is responsible is going to be sorry he was ever born. No one hurts my dog and gets away with it, especially in my own home."_

He grabbed his gun and proceeded to slip quietly into the front room. He hoped to surprise whoever was there and had hurt Monty. He reached for the light switch to turn on the lights since the living room was dark but nothing happened. He could barely see the shadow of a man near the front door but didn't see the second man hiding in the kitchen. He did see Monty lying on the floor whimpering in pain but not moving. He was obviously hurt and Deeks lost his temper spectacularly.

He raised his gun, pointed it at the man by the door and snarled "Hands up asshole! If you've hurt my dog, you're dead meat." The man didn't raise his hands pissing Deeks off even more. "I said hands up!"

Instead of raising his hands as told, the man moved toward him without saying a word. He saw out movement out of the corner of his eye; another man was approaching him from the kitchen. Deeks had to decide in a split-second whether to shoot them or prepare himself for what he knew would be the fight of his life. He worried that if he shot at them, one of the bullets might pierce the wall between him and his neighbor, an elderly woman. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she got hurt, so let out a sigh as he prepared to fight both of the men advancing on him. The man coming toward him from the front door had at least 3 inches and 170 pounds on him; all of which looked like muscle while the man coming from the kitchen looked smaller and leaner.

He threw the first punch at the bigger man thinking _"Shit, why couldn't there be just one of them, but noo…I can't be that lucky, I get to have the bad luck to be faced with two of them. And in my own freaking apartment no less! Is there a website somewhere that says come to Marty Deeks' apartment and beat the living crap out of him? I had to have been born under an unlucky sign. Shit like this seems to happen to me quite regularly. Wait…no that can't be right because I've got Kensi in my life and I'm really lucky to have found her. Still, not having a good night here, seriously. Let's hope the Gods are smiling down on me or this is going to get real ugly real quick."_

He was holding his own against the two assailants, almost dancing around his living room trading punches and kicks with both of them. His living room was getting trashed as he traded blows with his assailants. Furniture was being overturned, his cat pillow went flying and he heard a lamp hit the floor and shatter into a million pieces. He got in some good punches, throwing one of the men into the wall causing him to slide to the floor in a daze, but for every punch or kick he was able to land, he received two in return. Once the first man was on the floor, he concentrated on the other one defending himself with a side kick he'd been practicing with Sam. He didn't know how long he was going to be able to keep up the fight against them but hoped that his neighbors had heard the commotion and called the cops. He needed all the help he could get if he was going to come out of this mess in one piece, more or less.

He was still engaged with the second assailant when the man he had put on the floor earlier was able to get up and blindside him; hitting him on the back of his head with the gun he pulled out of his pocket. Deeks was too busy fighting with the man in front of him to notice the second one get back up. All he knew was that he was losing the fight no matter how many punches he landed.

The bash to the head from the gun had him seeing stars as he collapsed to the floor. He didn't know what had hit him; all he was aware of was excruciating pain that exploded in his head. He lost control of his body and found himself sprawled out on the floor but didn't know how he had gotten there. He managed to trip one of the men, sending him falling over the sofa and onto the floor. He tried to get up and continue the fight, he really did, but the pain in his head continued increasing until he thought he was going to throw up. He was still seeing stars but blackness began to move in from the sides of his vision and blot out the stars. His vision continued narrowing and before long the pain dropped him down into a pool of blackness as he finally lost the fight to remain conscious.

Harry was so mad he wanted to shoot Deeks. _"Dammit, I hurt everywhere. This guy is a fucking maniac when he's fighting! If the boss hadn't made it very clear he wanted him alive, I'd have shot him when he first started fighting. Shit but the bastard can fight. He had moves I've never seen before. It's a good thing Jimmy hit him when he did. At least he's not causing any more trouble now."_

~,~,~

Harry and Jimmy were breathing hard and took a few minutes to get their breath back before looking at each other and shaking their heads. They then simultaneously looked down at Deeks unconscious on the floor. They were both battered and bloody after the fight and Harry spoke first. "Thank God you hit him with the gun. That finally put him down for the count. I can't believe he was getting the upper hand."

Jimmy snarled "I wanted to kill the bastard." They looked at each other again; both heaving sighs of relief. "He doesn't look that tough, but the son-of-a-bitch sure put up a fight." Deeks had made him feel like a rank amateur and it pissed him off. "I owe him big time. I hope I get the chance to give him a little of his own medicine" he spat as he felt his jaw where Deeks had landed a savage blow.

Harry was just as angry but was better at hiding it. "Grab the duct-tape and bind his hands behind his back." He growled. "I don't want him able to move a muscle if he comes to. I've had enough of him already." He knew if Jimmy hadn't put Deeks down with the blow to the head, the now unconscious man would have won the fight. Both he and Jimmy knew how to fight and had given it everything they had, but Deeks had surprised them with his skill and had been gaining the upper hand even fighting both of them. "Man Jimmy, if I had known it was going to be this hard to subdue him, I would have asked for more help doing this job. Let's get out of here before the cops show up. Somebody is sure to have called them."

Harry was aware they had gotten lucky, very lucky. "He's lucky the boss wants him alive. I want to beat him to death with my bare hands."

~,~,~

Jimmy put his gun back in his pocket while continuing to stare down at Deeks. Both men then grabbed him, pulling him up from the floor. Harry easily put him in a fireman's hold over his shoulder as both men proceeded out of the apartment and down the stairs to the van waiting in the parking lot. He tossed Deeks into the back and got in the passenger side while Jimmy got in the driver's side and put the car in gear. They pulled out of the parking lot and were half way down the street when they saw a police cruiser proceeding toward Deeks' apartment.

"That was close!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Ya _think?_ " Harry replied.

They drove into West Los Angeles before stopping at an abandoned warehouse on South Pico. Harry pulled open the loading dock doors as Jimmy pulled the van inside, then closed them as soon as the van cleared them. They pulled farther into the building where the boss was standing waiting for them, parked and got out. He began talking to them before they were fully out of the van.

"How did it go?" he asked. "You got him didn't you? Tell me you got him. You did get him, correct?"

"Yeah, we got him boss. Why didn't you tell us he was so skilled at fighting? He put up a hell of a fight. He had moves I've never seen before and I've been in plenty of fights. Jimmy finally had to hit him over the head before we could get him tied up. He's unconscious right now, but he should come to before too long. Jimmy didn't hit him that hard." Harry reported.

"He better not have. I told you to get him here alive. I want to have some fun with him and I can't do that while he is 'sleeping' so to speak. Put him in the chair in the back room and tie him to it by both arms. Tie his legs and ankles to the chair too. I don't want him to get loose."

"Don't worry boss, we'll make sure he's tied up nice and tight. It's the least we can do. We both wanted to kill the bastard by the time we were through fighting." Harry then turned to Jimmy and motioned for him to open the sliding van door. He pulled Deeks out, none too gently, and dropped him to the floor. Harry then dragged him to the back room with Jimmy following him. Once they had Deeks tied up good and tight, they returned to the front of the warehouse. They stood patiently in front of the boss waiting for their next set of orders.

"Here's some money. Go have a good time on me. Thanks for getting him here. Keep your cell phones handy, but get lost for a couple of weeks. I shouldn't be needing you for a while. If and when I do, I'll call you"

That was all they needed to hear. When the boss told them to do something, that's exactly what they did.

After they left, the boss went into the room where Deeks was tied up, still unconscious. He stood there looking at him for the longest time. _"Finally I have you and I'll have my revenge. I have you right where I want you. You're going to pay for what you did to me. I spent years in prison; and it was all because of you and your lies. This is all your fault and I'm going to enjoy making you suffer before I kill you. I'm going to take my time too. You're going to be begging me to kill you before I'm done with you. Your team is going to suffer right along with you too. I'm going to make them watch and listen to what I do to you. I've done my research and come up with some novel ways to inflict the maximum amount of pain without killing you. I can't wait to get started."_

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	5. Chapter 4 - Deeks is Missing

Here's chapter 4. My minions can't make up their minds! On the one hand they're enjoying the angst but on the other hand they're mad at me for hurting Deeks. I can't win with the little monsters. I've banished them all to their closet for tormenting me.

Thanks again to nherbie for being my beta on this story. She has improved it greatly. It's wonderful having a beta to find all the mistakes I miss. **I can't thank you enough nherbie!** If you haven't read any of her stories, give her a try. She's a great writer.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 4 - Deeks is Missing

It was a beautiful morning and Kensi was positive it was going to be a beautiful day as she arrived at the Mission. She had forgotten to set her alarm so was running late. She was disappointed that he hadn't been able to stop by Deeks' place to carpool in with him that morning. She was looking forward to seeing her partner; well he was more than her partner now, when he arrived at work. She was amazed at how much she had missed being with him last night. She'd had a great time with her girlfriends; they'd spent the evening laughing and telling stories about one another and their current or past boyfriends. She really did have a good time but it wasn't the same as spending the evening with Deeks.

She marveled at how he had become such an important part of her life; how he had become the one person she wanted to spend all of her time with. He always made her feel so desirable. Even when her hair was a mess with no make-up on, she was in raggedy pants and one of his shirts, he would look at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She couldn't wait to spend the evening with him and find out what his 'plans' were for the two of them. She knew they would include his exploration of her entire body, with kisses all along the way. He could drive her insane the way his scruff felt as he explored every inch of her. And the wonder of it all was that she was able to return the favor. Their encounter this evening were sure to be epic in scope.

As usual, Sam and Callen had arrived at the Mission before she did and were already hard at work on the never-ending pile of paperwork and after action reports. She put her things down and joined them at her desk to start working on her own pile which was in danger of toppling over onto the floor. Things were quiet in the bullpen as the morning progressed while all of them concentrated on their reports.

Kensi was completing another after-action report on one of the cases they had just closed when she realized Hetty had silently appeared and had been watching her for a couple of minutes with her hands clasped lightly in front of her. She almost jumped out of her skin. "God Hetty, you scared me. I didn't realize you were there."

"I'm sorry my dear. Are you in need of refresher training on situational awareness? I've been standing here for a couple of minutes." Hetty smirked.

"No Hetty. I'm fine…I mean I'm good. I was concentrating so hard I guess I had tunnel-vision."

"Have you seen Mr. Deeks this morning, Miss Blye?"

"No, I haven't seen him since I left work yesterday Hetty." Kensi stated. "Why, is something wrong? Has the LAPD called him back for an undercover operation again?"

"No nothing has happened, at least not that I'm aware of. And I know LAPD hasn't called him in to work a case. However, it's already 10:30 and he hasn't called in or reported to work. That's not like him." Hetty continued standing in front of them. "Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, have you seen or heard from Mr. Deeks this morning?"

"No Hetty" came twin replies in unison. Sam and G looked at each other in silent communication. They both had a bad feeling on hearing Deeks hadn't reported in.

Kensi looked at Sam and Callen, "Did anything happen when you guys went out for drinks last night?"

"No, we spent a little time talking and had a quiet drink." Sam couldn't get rid of the feeling he'd somehow failed Deeks, again. He had a knot in the pit of his stomach and was beginning to think something bad might have happened to their liaison officer.

Both men informed Hetty and Kensi that the last time they had seen Deeks was when they parted company at the bar the evening before.

"He said he was going to take Monty to the beach and then spend a quiet evening at home." came from Callen. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened. He had one drink with us then left. It was about 6 pm when he left. Sam and I left the bar about 7 and went our separate ways."

"He's never this late to work unless he has to go to LAPD and I know he didn't have to report to them this morning. I'm rather concerned about him." Hetty stated in her own unique way.

Sam, Callen and Kensi looked at each other as they heard Hetty's reply. Kensi's mind began visualizing everything that could have gone wrong with Deeks when she realized the implications of him not showing up for work. She would later remember that she felt like someone walked over her grave when she heard Hetty ask them where he was. He always arrived at work by 9:20 am at the latest, sometimes with coffee and donuts for everyone.

Kensi grabbed her bag "Something's wrong, I can feel it. I'm going to check out his apartment. He may be sick or hurt for all we know."

"Hold on a moment Miss Blye. Mr. Callen, you and Mr. Hanna accompany her there. Find out everything you can. Talk to the neighbors if necessary. I'll have Mr. Beale and Miss Jones begin looking through traffic cams to see if they can find anything unusual happening around his apartment last night. Find Mr. Deeks." Hetty proceeded up to OPS while the three remaining team members headed for Sam's car.

~,~,~

Hetty walked through the doors to ops and addressed Nell and Eric. "Please check out traffic cams, and any other cameras you can find and hack into, in the area around Mr. Deeks' apartment. Start looking beginning around 6 pm last night which is the last time Mr. Deeks was seen."

The wonder twins traded glances. "What's going on Hetty? Did something happen to him?" inquired Nell.

"I don't know; that's what I want you two to find out. Mr. Deeks has not shown up for work this morning which is not like him."

Eric and Nell shared looks of concern as they realized what Hetty was implying. Like the well-oiled team they were, they turned to their computers and began searching cameras around Deeks' apartment. "On it Hetty" Eric replied.

Before too long, they found a camera that showed Deeks arriving home about 6:30 pm the previous evening. A few minutes later he was seen leaving his apartment with Monty in tow. The wonder twins lost him near the beach he frequented not far from his apartment when he went into an area not covered by cameras, then picked him up again about 7:50 as he returned home with Monty trotting alongside.

"So far so good Nell. Everything looks normal." Eric mentioned in relief.

"So far anyway, but we still have hours to account for. What do you think could have happened? You don't think he's hurt, do you?"

"I don't know, but if Hetty is worried, so am I. I'm beginning to get a really bad feeling about this Nell."

"So am I Eric, so am I."

They continued combing through security footage finding nothing untoward until about 10 pm. Nell was the first one to notice something 'hinky' in the feeds they were reviewing.

"Eric, that's the third time I've seen that white van cruising up and down the street in front of Deeks' apartment."

Eric found it next. "There it is again Nell. I'll get a timeline started showing each time the van passes Deeks apartment. Can you pull any images of the men in the van?"

"I can try."

She began pulling images of the men whenever they appeared on the security or traffic cameras they were monitoring while he tracked the white van and wrote down the times it passed Deeks' apartment. She found several images she thought might be good enough to try using facial recognition software for identification.

"I found the van coming from the direction of West Pico, Nell." Eric exclaimed about an hour later. "That's as far as I was able to back-track them though. They drove from there to Deeks' address. They cruised past his apartment four times before he came home; at 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 pm. They were beginning another pass when he arrived hime at 6:30. They were definitely waiting for him or someone who lives there. They followed him to the beach when he took Monty there and then the van shows up in the apartment's parking lot once Deeks goes inside."

"Damn, I know something happened to him." Nell leaned back and stretched her neck and arms out as far as possible to relieve some of the tension in her body. She felt several knots 'pop' in her back and could feel the muscles relaxing somewhat.

Eric heard the pops so stood up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Let me try to get some of those muscles relaxed. They're as hard as rocks." He began his massage at her neck and continued down her back kneading gently until he felt the muscles relax one by one.

Nell let out a huge sigh "Ooh…that feels so good Eric. Right there…and there" she gasped as he unerringly found every little knot in her back. "I didn't realize how tense I was. I'll give you all night to stop that Eric" she moaned in relief as she felt her muscles finally relax completely. Looking back at him in gratitude, she continued "I was able to pull some grainy images of the men, and I cleaned them up as much as I could. I'm running them through facial recognition now. I'm not sure if we'll get any hits but its worth a try."

"Like I mentioned, I have the van following Deeks as he walked Monty to the beach. Then I have it again following him back to his apartment. After he went inside, the van pulled into the apartment's parking lot and parked. They were waiting for something, but what?" Eric informed her. "It's going to be long night. I'm only up to 11 pm so far."

Nell and Eric kept monitoring the traffic cams around Deeks' apartment. They finally hit pay dirt when two men exited the van about 2 am and were seen entering Deeks' apartment. Then about 15 minutes later the cameras showed them coming back out with Deeks, one man carrying him in a fireman's hold and the other opening the side door to the van so he could be thrown inside.

He looked completely limp. Both Nell and Eric could tell from the camera footage that he was unconscious. They marked the time and then continued searching traffic cams to track the van after the men took him, hoping to follow it to wherever he had been taken.

"I'm going to inform Hetty of what we have so far Eric. I'll be right back." Nell ran down the stairs to Hetty's office and filled her in on their findings.

"Keep looking Miss Jones." Hetty replied.

As Nell went back up to OPS, Hetty sat at her desk and worried about her favorite detective. "Please stay strong, Mr. Deeks. We'll find you, I promise."

~,~,~

Deeks slowly began regaining consciousness. He was feeling light headed and groggy, trying but failing to take in his surroundings without opening his eyes because he had one hell of a headache. He finally decided _"to hell with it"_ and opened his eyes anyway, but immediately snapped them shut again. _"Oh damn, that hurts..its like being inside a sun it's so bright! My head feels like it's is going to explode at any moment."_

He tried putting his head in his hands to block out some of the light and realized he was tied to the chair by both his wrists and ankles. _"What happened to me? I feel like I have a concussion, but how did I get it? Great…just great! What have I gotten myself into this time? The last thing I remember I went to bed after taking Monty for a walk."_

He kept his eyes closed while trying to reconstruct his evening and finally remembered waking up to a noise from the front of his apartment. _"Think Marty! What happened…oh, that's right. I heard a sound…what was the sound? Oh shit! I heard Monty yelp so I grabbed my gun and went into the living room. I hope he's okay, I know heard him yelp in pain just before all hell broke loose. If he isn't okay someone is going to pay. No one hurts my dog and gets away with it! Oh yeah, now I remember…I ended up fighting two goons, one as big as a house! I was holding my own for a while before I got cold-cocked. That's when everything went black."_

He was sure he was no longer in his own home but had no idea where he was. He tried opening his eyes again. It took him three or four more tries before he was able to keep them open. Once they were open, he felt like there was a drum solo being played on the inside of his skull, but he didn't let that stop him from trying to figure out where he was and what what was going on. _"It looks like we're not in Kansas anymore Toto,"_ he snarked to himself, _"but I sure as hell don't know where we are. All I know is it definitely isn't over the rainbow. And it's not Oz. Damn, it's cold in here…I'm freezing."_

He looked around taking inventory of his surroundings. Studying the dimly lit room, he could see it was mostly empty. He was able to make out a single door, the chair he was tied to and a table along one wall. The table held bottles, tools and other things he couldn't quite identify in the dim light. The room's single window was open to the early morning breeze. _"No wonder I'm freezing. It's damn cold in here with the window open and me half naked! My feet are freezing; I don't even have socks on."_ He looked around some more to find a way out of the room he was in. If he could get out of his restraints, he decided he might be able to wriggle through the window and get away. He pulled against the restraints on his hands and ankles but was tied to the chair too tightly to make any headway; his hands were zip-tied to the chair arms with his ankles and calves zip-tied to the legs. All he succeeded in doing was rubbing his wrists and ankles raw. He decided to stop before they began bleeding. He only had the sleeveless t-shirt he normally wore to bed and his sleep pants.

He knew he was in a lot of trouble. He wanted this to be nothing more than a nightmare so he could wake up in bed with Kensi but he knew wishing it wouldn't make it reality. If he was going to survive whatever these guys had planned for him, he was going to have to fight with everything he had within himself. He had promised her he would never leave her, at least not willingly and he was determined to keep that promise if at all possible. If it turned out this was his time to die, he was going to go out fighting. He hoped Kensi would understand but knew it would devastate her.

He thanked everything that was holy that he had written a letter to her after he recovered from Sidorov's torture of him so that if anything happened to take him away from her, she would know how much he loved her and how hard he had fought to get back to her. He had poured his heart out in the letter including all of his hopes and dreams for their future…how he wanted to have little mutant ninja assassins with her when the time was right. He told her he wanted to marry her and how he planned to propose. He told her she was his sole heir and where she could find all of his legal papers. He wrote about what he wanted her to do with her life if anything did happen to him. He asked her to promise not to feel guilty about moving on without him. He had lived and loved more in the time he'd had her in his life than he had ever lived or loved before. He begged her not to build up the walls around her heart again but to go on living and to find someone else to love. He told her it wouldn't be a betrayal of him if she did. It was what he wanted for her…nothing but love, happiness and a life fully lived. He went on to tell her she was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he wouldn't have changed a single second of it. He begged her to remember that nothing that happened was her fault. He wrote that sometimes shit happens and there's nothing anyone can do about it. He ended the letter by telling her that he would always be watching over her and loving her. His love for her was never-ending; it would endure for eternity…and for at least one day more.

When he'd finished writing the letter, he'd taken it to Hetty very early one morning and asked her to keep it safe for him in case anything ever happened to him. Along with the letter, he gave Hetty a box. Hetty looked at the box and then up at him assuring him she would keep both safe for him.

"May I see it Mr. Deeks?"

"Uh, sure Hetty. I think she'll like it…but I don't know…I hope so…oh God, what if she doesn't?" He couldn't stop himself from babbling as Hetty opened the box with the engagement ring in it. He stood there holding his breath while she took her time examining it.

The ring was platinum with a one-carat oval-shaped blue sapphire as the center stone. On either side were three graduated baguette diamonds with the largest on each side a third of a carat and the smallest a fifth of a carat in size. The band itself consisted of a twisted vine with the prongs holding the sapphire also twisted. The matching wedding band was a twisted vine shape that mirrored the engagement ring's band.

"It is a stunning ring Mr. Deeks. I'm sure Miss Blye will love it. Am I correct that you haven't yet asked your partner to marry you?"

"No, not yet. I'm waiting until the time is right. I'll know when it is. So…you're okay with this? You won't separate us once I ask her will you? Because if we have to be separated, I'll go back to LAPD. Kensi was borne to be an NCIS agent."

"No Mr. Deeks. I learned my lesson. I should never have sent Kensi to Afghanistan without you. I won't make the mistake again of separating you two. I know you've been basically living together for some time now and I can tell it hasn't affected your work at all. It may even have made you better partners at work."

Marty sighed with relief "Thanks Hetty. I was worried about what would happen."

"Are you sure me keeping this letter for you is what you want Mr. Deeks?" she asked him. He told her yes; that though he wasn't planning on getting himself killed, he would feel better if she had the letter to give to Kensi in case the worst ever happened. He couldn't leave her without telling her how he felt one more time. Hetty had then replied "I'll make sure she gets this if it's ever necessary. But Mr. Deeks, I expect you to fight with everything in you to make sure I never have to give her this letter." He promised her he would, just as he had promised Kensi earlier that he would do so.

As he remembered everything about the letter and his conversation with Hetty, he was comforted by the knowledge that Kensi would get the letter if he wasn't able to hang on. He also knew that Sam and Callen would take care of her for him.

" _How in hell do I get myself into these situations, can someone please tell me that? Seriously, was I a monster in a previous life so in this life I have to make amends for it? Come on! That's wrong, that's just wrong in so many ways! I was minding my own business, sleeping in my own freaking apartment a few hours ago for crying out loud and now I don't even know where the hell I am! And I don't know who has me. Kensi's going to be so worried. I have to get out of here. Who the hell has me this time and why? I haven't pissed anyone off lately that I can remember."_ As he continued looking around he heard someone enter the room. He looked toward the door hoping to see who had abducted him. Unfortunately, the man who entered stayed in the shadows.

~,~,~


	6. Chapter 5 - Deeks' Ordeal Begins

Here's a nice long chapter for you.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thoughts are in italics.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the previous chapter. I've replied to everyone that I could. Guests: I appreciate hearing from you as well. You all make me want to keep writing.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 5 - Deeks' Ordeal Begins

"Who's there? Come into the light so I can see you." Marty called out. "I know you're there so why don't you quit being so mysterious. It's like a grade D crime drama in here."

After several minutes, the man in the shadows replied. "Marty I see you're finally awake. It's about time. I was beginning to get a little worried. May I call you Marty? I mean Deeks seems so impersonal and we're going to get very personal over the next few days and weeks. Very personal indeed. Before I'm done with you, you're going to wish you had never heard of me. You'll be begging for the pain to end. You're going to be begging me to kill you."

"Who the hell are you and why am I here?" Deeks growled. "I was minding my own business in my own home when your goons abducted me and brought me here. You're going to regret this when my team finds you. I'm a cop, you low life prick."

Two unexpected punches to his face split Marty's lips open and increased the pain in his head significantly. He could taste blood in his mouth and feel it dripping down his chin onto his shirt. He had the feeling his concussion, if he did have one, had been worsened from the blows to the face he had just received.

"Watch your mouth you asshole." his captor snarled. He grabbed him by the chin and forced his face up so the light shined directly into his eyes as he continued. "There are a few things you need to understand; a few rules you need to obey. Do not swear at me again, or you will be punished. Don't try to escape or you'll regret it because I'll not only punish you but I just might go after your team and that girlfriend of yours. She's a pretty one right now, but after I get through having fun with her, she won't be. You're mine now. I've been waiting years for payback for what you did to me and part of the payback is that you treat me with a little goddamned respect! If you don't you'll pay for it, starting right now. This is all your fault. If you had left me alone, you wouldn't be here now."

Deeks was squinting, trying to keep the lights out of his eyes and prevent his headache from getting worse. "Don't you dare touch her! If you do, I'll kill you! I'll return from the grave if I have to and kill you! he yelled. "Who are you? I don't even know you. Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"

"What did I tell you about respect?" He received two more punches to the face and several to his stomach. He concentrated on not throwing up, but the blows had been very effective in making his stomach rebel so he was unable to stop himself. The only satisfaction he got was that he was able to get some of it on his captor's shoes. The man looked down at his shoes and then up at Deeks in disgust. The next thing Marty felt were additional blows to his face and stomach. He took some comfort in the fact he had made his captor mad.

His captor turned to the table along the wall and picked up something. In the dim light he couldn't see what the man had in his hands but the next thing he knew, he was being savagely beaten with a slim cane. His tormentor took great pleasure in repeatedly beating him on his stomach, back, arms and legs. Tied up the way he was, he couldn't protect any part of his body from the blows. The cane made a whistling sound every time it was brought down onto his body but he clenched his teeth so he wouldn't make a sound. Soon the welts caused by the blows of the cane covered every inch of his exposed body. Everywhere the cane landed, his skin was torn and bloody. _"Oh Goddamn…that hurts! Who is this guy? Why is this happening to me? He says this is all my fault which means I must know him, but I don't recognize his voice so how do I know him; from where and when?"_

He still hadn't made a sound, frustrating his captor. " _I'm going to get out of this chair somehow you asshole and when I do…when I do, I'm coming for you. I'll find you and beat the shit out of you. And I'll take great pleasure doing it too. That is if Kensi doesn't get to you first. You haven't met Max Gentry yet, but when I get free, you will and you'll be sorry you ever tangled with him. "_ He remained silent, biting his lips until they bled more to prevent any sound from escaping while trying to ignore the pain by thinking of the team, Kensi his Bad-Ass Blye, and what they and she would do to the prick hurting him.

He concentrated on the way Kensi would look as she kicked his captor in his 'lunchbox', 'junk', 'package', 'non de plumes', or 'nads'; in other words his testicles. He decided she would look like an avenging angel with fire in her eyes as she made sure the prick would be singing soprano for a very long time, if not for the rest of his life. He thought about how she would take great pleasure in kicking his captor so hard, his manhood would be in his throat; that is if she didn't kick him hard enough to make his balls land in the middle of the Pacific. He knew if Kensi couldn't get close enough to kick the guy, she just might shoot him in the balls which would achieve the same thing except on a more permanent basis. His thoughts of Kensi helped him deny his captor what he knew he wanted, which was to give him the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. Before long, he felt everything around him begin to gray out and welcomed the darkness with relief because it took the pain away. Maybe if he was lucky, he would dream of Kensi, he thought.

Once his tormentor realized he had lost consciousness, he put the cane down. He then slowly walked around him inspecting the marks he had left on his body. His body was criss-crossed with welts weeping blood which spread and slowly dripped onto the floor forming a puddle underneath the chair. His face and lips were swollen and his eyes were beginning to blacken. The man smiled in satisfaction at his handiwork. _"A good beginning; a very good beginning, if I do say so myself. But this is just the beginning; I'm going to make you scream and cry before I'm done. You're going to be begging me to kill you. Your lies took me away from my fun, but I've got you now and you'll pay for that. You've got a lot more punishment coming to you and I'm going to take as much time as possible making you suffer before I finally put you out of your misery. It's all your fault I spent all those years in prison and it's finally time for some payback. Maybe at the end I'll cut your heart out while you watch."_ he thought before taking a syringe from the table along the wall and injecting the contents into Deeks' left arm. After that, he left the room leaving the detective slumped over in the chair.

~,~,~

The moment Sam pulled up in front of Deeks' apartment, Kensi was out of the car. She shoved the car door open almost before it had come to a complete stop. She saw his car still in his parking spot, "Sam, Callen, his car's still here. Where is he? What if he's hurt?"

She sprinted up the stairs with Sam and Callen struggling to keep up with her, but when she reached his apartment, she came to a dead stop when she noticed the door wasn't latched but was slightly ajar. She turned to look back "The door's open guys. Something's very wrong here."

Sam gently took hold of her arm. "Hold on Kensi. Let's do this the smart way." He stepped to one side of the door while Kensi and Callen moved to the other side. Sam then slowly opened the door with his gun at the ready. He went right, Kensi went straight and Callen went left as they began clearing the apartment.

"Clear" came from Callen as he realized the kitchen was empty.

Sam called out the same word once he had finished a sweep of the living room, hallway and spare bedroom. Kensi came back out to the living room from Deeks' bedroom. "The bedroom and bathroom are clear."

Once they were sure there was no one inside, the three of them took a more detailed look around staring in shock at the devastation. The living room was completely trashed with furniture over-turned and broken, smashed lamps, Deeks' poker playing dogs picture lying on the floor and other belongings scattered all over.

Kensi sucked in her breath before beginning to swear when she found Monty in front of his dog bed lying on his side panting and obviously in pain. She knelt down beside him and began stroking him gently while trying to see where and how badly he was injured. As she slid her hand lightly down his side, he gave a yelp of pain. "Oh Monty, I'm so sorry. I know it hurts boy." she soothed him. He looked at her then licked her hand as if to say "I know you're trying to help."

Kensi looked up at Sam and Callen. They could tell she hated the decision they knew she was going to make. "I'm taking Monty to the vet. He's hurt and in a lot of pain. Can you guys spare me?"

"Go Kensi. Sam and I'll check out everything here and let you know what we find. Deeks would want you to look after Monty first."

Sam got a blanket, folding it up so that he and Callen could carry Monty downstairs in it without hurting him any more than he already was. They carefully laid him on the back seat of Kensi's car. Both men gave her a hug and told her again she was doing the right thing. They turned to go back to the apartment as Kensi peeled out of the parking lot.

~,~,~

Kensi broke almost every traffic law on the books getting Monty to the vet Deeks used. She weaved in and out of traffic, speeding as fast as she dared, cutting people off if necessary while paying no attention to the one-fingered salutes she was getting or the horns that were honking. She ran yellow lights and lights that could only be called pink by someone giving her the benefit of a huge doubt. Her only thought was to make sure Monty was seen as soon as possible. She made it to the vet's in record time; roared into the parking lot, slowed down to put the car into park, then raced to the front office yelling for help getting Monty inside. She knew she couldn't lift him by herself in his current condition and she didn't want to take a chance on hurting him more than he already was.

"Please help me. Monty's been hurt and I don't know how bad it is." She gasped giving the receptionist a look of both hope and despair.

"Slow down. You must be Kensi." the receptionist said in a soothing tone of voice. "Marty's talked about you when he's brought Monty in for his check-ups. You're listed as the emergency contact for Monty whenever Marty's not available. He described you to a 't'. I called Dr. Govers as soon as I recognized who you were. Follow me and we'll get Monty into an exam room. The doctor will be in soon." One of the male assistants followed Kensi out to her car, gently lifting Monty and the blanket into his arms and carrying him to the exam room with Kensi right on his heels. He laid Monty down on the table, then went to let Dr. Govers know what room Monty was in.

Kensi leaned over the exam table, talking to Monty quietly as she gently petted his head and played with his ears. It was one of the things he loved Kensi to do and it seemed to keep him calm. Being able to do that much for Marty's beloved dog helped calm Kensi down as well. She hadn't realized how stressed she had been since seeing the state of the apartment with Monty lying there hurt and in pain. _"Come on Dr. Govers, what's taking you so long?"_ Kensi was sure it had been 30 minutes since she had been put in the exam room, but in actuality, the doctor was there within 5 minutes.

~,~,~

Callen and Sam searched Deeks' apartment thoroughly while Kensi was gone, calling out to each other whenever they found something to bag as evidence. They took pictures of the state of Deeks' living room and the destruction as well to use as evidence.

"Callen" Sam called from Deeks' bedroom. "Deeks phone and wallet are here on his night stand. His bed looks like it's been slept in. He must have been sleeping before whatever the hell happened to him took place. Have you found his gun in there; its nowhere in here?"

"Not yet. From what I'm seeing in here, there was one hell of a fight. I think he was kidnapped but he sure as hell didn't go quietly." Callen continued searching the living room as he spoke. "I take that back; I found his gun under the remains of his coffee table." Callen was thinking furiously. Based on what he was seeing, a theory was taking shape in his brain.

"Deeks must have heard something and came into the living room to investigate, bringing his gun with him." Everywhere Callen looked, there were signs of a major fight. He came across a small pool of blood on the floor taking additional pictures of it then noticed blood spatters on the walls which he also photographed before calling out to Sam. "Sam, based on the state of this room, there had to have been more than one person trying to grab him. I don't believe a single person could have taken him down. I've found blood on the floor and walls. It's not much but I hope to God it isn't his. If it is, no telling what condition he's in."

"Damn it. Who would want to do something like this to Deeks? It's got to be someone who is out for revenge or payback. Maybe Nell and Eric can find something on traffic cams. We need some kind of lead here and fast." Sam was frustrated and worried about their liaison officer. He felt his heart clinching as he remembered what Deeks had gone through with Sidorov. How he had been able to withstand what was done to him was still a mystery to Sam. Deeks hadn't had the training Sam had, but he had matched Sam's strength, resolve and resistance throughout the entire ordeal. _"I don't know if Deeks can go through that type of experience again so soon. I'm afraid…afraid that's what's happening right now. He's being tortured again, I'd bet my life on it. I know he's strong, but a person can only take so much before they break. No one can hold out forever. I was surprised at how strong he was when he was tortured before. I was sure he would give up Michelle to make it stop…but he didn't. It goes to show when I'm wrong about someone, I'm really wrong. I've never been so wrong about anyone in my whole life. And then after what I had said to him during the op, he forgave me! I'll never stop trying to be a better friend to him than I was before. I totally misjudged the man. I'm glad we've gotten closer since then. I owe him everything…my life, Michelle's life…everything."_

"We need to get a forensics team in here. I'll let Hetty know after we talk to the neighbors." Callen was worried about Deeks as well. It just didn't show on his face.

They finished up in the apartment then canvassed the building, talking to his neighbors; asking if they had seen or heard anything the previous night. Everyone they talked to claimed to have heard nothing. They were getting desperate when they finally approached his next door neighbor. She turned out to be the only one who had heard something. Her name was Ida Mae Murphy. She was a tiny wisp of a woman, looking even smaller than Hetty if that was possible. She proudly told them she was 97 years young. She didn't move very fast but she was as sharp as a tack and told them everything she could remember. "I was up getting a glass of water when I heard noises from Marty's apartment. Such a nice young man. I called the police because it sounded like someone was tearing the place up but I never did see them come by. He's always helping me bring my groceries in, making repairs to my apartment or taking me to my appointments if he's free. I don't have any family close by and I don't know what I would do without him. I do hope he's okay."

Callen asked "Do you know what time it was when you heard all the noise?"

"It must have been about 2 am. I don't sleep through the night anymore, I get up a couple of times every night and I remember it was the first time I got up that I heard all the noise. Is someone caring for Monty? I sometimes watch him for Marty when he has to be away for several days."

"Monty's fine. He's at the vet's office right now being checked over. Thank you Mrs. Murphy" Sam couldn't understand how Deeks managed to attract any woman from 3 to 95. They gravitated to him as though he was a magnet and they were metal filings.

"Let me know how Marty is when you find him, please?" Ida looked at both Sam and Callen with a troubled look on her face. "He's always helping people around here. Someone needs to watch out for him."

Callen reassured her "We'll let you know. He's part of our team and we watch out for each other. If you remember anything else, call me." Callen handed her his business card which she put in her pocket, while nodding her head.

They finished their canvass of the building, then looked over Deeks' car thoroughly but didn't find anything in it to help them. Callen reported what they had found to Hetty and the wonder twins in ops. "Hetty, it looks like someone took Deeks. His apartment has been trashed and I found blood. His next-door neighbor thinks it went down around 2 am. She called the police so there may be a record of the call. We should get a forensics team here to see what they can find."

Hetty's heart ached for Marty when she heard about the blood. _"How does that young man get himself into so much trouble?"_ she thought. It was a rhetorical question; she knew he was always looking out for those people less fortunate than himself. That was the kind of man he was. She marveled once again at how kind, gentle, loving and compassionate he was. With his childhood it was a miracle he had survived much less become the kind of man he was. Hetty said a little prayer to the man upstairs to watch over him during his current ordeal. She only hoped he would come back to them the same man he was before the abduction.

She interrupted Callen. "Mr. Callen, I'm calling LAPD. I want their tech people to go over that apartment. Stay there until they arrive; then you two get back here to follow other leads. Hopefully, they'll find some fingerprints or other trace evidence that will help us find Mr. Deeks. As soon as they get there, report back to ops."

"Okay Hetty. We've taken pictures of the state of his apartment and bagged anything we thought might be evidence. I'll let Kensi know to return to ops from the vet's office. Monty was hurt when we got here and she took him to Deeks' vet."

"Bugger! Do that Mr. Callen."

Hetty might have looked calm and collected on the outside, but inside she was not only angry, but rare for her, she was also feeling guilty. She had regretted her actions in separating Mr. Deeks and Miss Blye when she found out they had taken their relationship to another level. _"I shouldn't have separated them. I knew he was still dealing with the fall-out of his torture, but I thought they wouldn't be able to be in a serious relationship and still work together. And I really did need Miss Blye in Afghanistan. I didn't handle it at all well though. I should have let him know that it wasn't his fault. I forgot how easily he takes on the fault when something happens. I should have seen it coming and reassured him instead of letting him worry about it for so long. I thought giving them the satellite phones for Christmas would make up for the separation, but I fear I left it for too long before I did anything."_ The fall-out from her decision was still ongoing. She knew he no longer trusted her as completely as before and it saddened her whenever she thought about it.

" _I'm the one who recruited him when I knew it was time to get him out of LAPD. He was so alone after Sam died and I knew he would have been killed sooner or later in one of his undercover ops if I hadn't intervened when I did. But I haven't been able to keep him as safe here as I had hoped for or as I promised Sam."_ The same thought crossed her mind once more. _"What is it about that young man? He seems to attract trouble without really trying. I know it's not his fault; it's in his nature to help people and put himself in harm's way to protect others. But I'm supposed to protect him and I failed this time."_

She sat in her office reminiscing on how long she had watched over Marty from afar before she ever recruited him into NCIS and how she usually thought of him as 'Marty' though she called him Mr. Deeks at work. He had first come to her attention through her friendship with Samuel Deeks. She had been friends with Sam and his wife for years before she died in childbirth along with Sam's first-borne child. Sam had been devastated and Hetty didn't think he would ever get over the loss. But then Marty Brandel had come into Sam's life, and turned it inside out and upside down. And Sam, well Sam was as proud as a peacock; constantly telling Hetty stories of his 'son'. She saw how much good it did for Sam to have him to take care of and how good Sam was for him. She believed Sam was one of the major reasons Marty had been able to heal as well as he did from the abuse his father inflicted on him. She knew he still had his demons, but he was able to overcome them and move on with his life. She promised Sam she would look after his boy if anything ever happened to him. Now Hetty made herself another promise _"The people who did this to you had better run far and fast because I'll find them Mr. Deeks and when I do, they will rue the day they were born. No one hurts one of my 'children' and gets away with it. The person or persons who did this have no idea of the hell they've unleashed but they will and soon. The team and I, we're coming for them and hell's following after us."_

~,~,~


	7. Chapter 6 - LAPD Joins the Search

LAPD finally finds out that Deeks is missing. What is Lt. Bates reaction? My minions say it's about time, Bates found out. They're dancing around the room saying things like "It won't be long now before they find Deeks." I keep telling them there is a long way to go but they're ignoring me. Oh well, they'll find out sooner or later.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the previous chapter. I've replied to everyone that I could. To my French guest reviewer: Je vous remercie pour vos aimables paroles. Je suis heureux que vous appréciez l'histoire . Il y a beaucoup plus à venir .

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

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CHAPTER 6 - LAPD Joins the Search

~,~,~

 _"...No one hurts one of my 'children' and gets away with it. The person or persons who did this have no idea of the hell they've unleashed but they will and soon. The team and I, we're coming for them and hell's following after us."_

~,~,~

Hetty remained at her desk trying to make sense of everything that had happened since the last time Mr. Deeks had been seen. She had the feeling she was missing something. _"Who would do something like this? Whoever it is isn't your run-of-the-mill lowlife. It takes intelligence to plan something like this; plus a great deal of preparation. There also had to have been surveillance done before he was snatched. Whoever took him knew he was home alone. He and Miss Blye are only apart one day a week, if that, and whoever grabbed him knew that."_ Hetty thought back to when he had been shot as bait to get to Miss Blye. They had received a list of names from LAPD of people who might want to exact revenge on him when they thought he had been the sole target. She made herself some tea, then picked up her phone and put a call into Lt. Bates.

The phone was picked up after the third ring. "Bates here" came a gruff voice.

"Lt. Bates, Hetty Lange here."

"What's Deeks done now and how much trouble is he in. Don't tell me you're tired of the kid already" Lt. Bates interrupted Hetty, figuring she was calling about Deeks. He was right, of course, but not for the reason he thought.

"Lt. Bates, Mr. Deeks has done nothing wrong and we're not tired of him. He continues to be a valued member of my team."

"Well if you ever do get tired of him, you know, you can always send him back to me." Bates chuckled.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but Mr. Deeks is missing."

"Shit!" Bates interrupted once more. "What the hell happened and what are you doing about it?"

"We believe he was abducted from his apartment last night. We didn't find out until this morning when he didn't show up for work. My team is making Mr. Deeks' disappearance their top priority. As Mr. Deeks is still one of your detectives, I want us to work together on this. And frankly, we can use all the help we can get to find him and get him back where he belongs." Hetty knew that underneath the uncaring façade Bates showed regarding Deeks, he really thought highly of his detective and wouldn't want anything to happen to him. She also knew she couldn't keep him out of the loop this time if she wanted to keep the liaison program alive and Deeks on her team, where she could watch over him. He had made that very clear to her when he found out about his torture two days after the fact.

"You have it. No one snatches one of my detectives with impunity!"

"I'm glad to hear it. Could you send a forensics team to his apartment to go over it from top to bottom. Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna have already been through it, taken pictures, bagged any evidence they found and talked to the neighbors. However, as I said, I want all the help I can get on this. I will consider it a personal favor from you and I'll owe you one. Working together, we have a better chance of finding him before anything more happens to him. Of course, we will share everything we have found so far with you. Both of my agents are waiting until your team arrives on site. They'll turn over everything they've found so far."

"Hold on just a second." Bates growled. He put the phone down and Hetty could hear him swearing softly to himself before he began yelling at his administrative assistant. "Sharon, I need you to get a forensics team out to Deeks' apartment ASAP. Tell them they're to go over that apartment thoroughly. I want to know everything they can find and I want it yesterday. Tell them to have a preliminary report to me by 2 pm today, at the latest."

Returning to the call with Hetty, Lt. Bates didn't waste any more time on chitchat. "The team should be there within the hour or heads will roll. What have you discovered so far?"

Hetty related what Sam and Callen had reported about the state of Mr. Deeks' apartment and what they had uncovered so far. She then suggested both teams meet at the boatshed as soon as the forensics team was finished. "Please make sure no one is followed when they go to the boatshed Lt. Bates." she reminded him. "We can share anything else my team has uncovered then and formulate a plan of action to find our missing detective."

Bates shook his head wearily. "That kid is going to be the death of me yet. I'll have the preliminary report by 2 pm. The forensic team I'm sending is the best. Why don't we meet at the boatshed at 2:30?" Hetty agreed and ended the call.

Lt. Bates sat staring at the phone for several minutes after ending the call with the 'little Svengali' as he called Hetty. _"Damn it Deeks, what have you gotten yourself into now. I have a bad feeling about what's happening with you. After all, it hasn't been that long since the cluster-fuck with the nukes. I don't want to see something like that happen to you again…not again. I don't know how much more you can take kid. I wouldn't be quite as worried about you if this was only going to be the second time something like this has happened to you, but it's at least the fourth time that I know of. Sooner or later you're going to burn out, develop PTSD or get yourself killed. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't happen…not on my watch. You hang in there kid, you hear me? We're coming for you; both us and NCIS. We'll put whoever is behind your kidnapping either below ground or behind bars for a very long time."_ Bates was seething with anger as the thoughts of what his detective was probably going through whirled through his mind. He called his assistant again to make sure the team going to Deeks' apartment was the best they had. Nothing less than the best in LAPD would be acceptable to him.

~,~,~

The next call Hetty placed was to Owen Granger at home. When he answered she began speaking immediately. "Owen, I'm calling to inform you of a situation that occurred overnight."

"A situation; what situation? No one informed me of any situations taking place in Los Angeles last night. What's happened now?" Owen had been looking forward to a half-way normal day after the hectic month they had all experienced. He assumed the team was still working on expense reports, after-action reports and the other paperwork required after closing any case. He hadn't heard about any new cases so was somewhat mystified about what Hetty could be calling him for.

"Mr. Deeks is missing."

"What?! When did this happen and why am I just hearing about it now?"

"Let me finish Owen", Hetty interrupted. "When he didn't arrive for work this morning, I sent the team to his apartment. They found his dog, Monty, injured on the living room floor and evidence that he had been kidnapped. Mr. Callen informed me that Mr. Deeks didn't go quietly. It's his opinion there was more than one person involved in his abduction. His apartment was trashed. Why he was taken, or by whom we don't know yet. I've already informed LAPD."

"Do you think it's wise to involve LAPD?"

"Owen, we almost lost Mr. Deeks' skills after what happened last year with Sidorov. The brass at LAPD was livid that we didn't inform them right away that Mr. Deeks had been tortured and were seriously thinking about shutting down the entire liaison program.

"I knew they weren't pleased we delayed in letting them know but I thought that had blown over by now."

"It had, but I think keeping LAPD, and especially Lt. Bates in the loop this time is the only way we will be able to keep the liaison program in place. Last time they only _threatened_ to end the program; if it happens again, they just might end it all together. Besides I want all the help I can get on this. If Mr. Deeks goes through anything close to what happened last year, he might not survive. Even if he does survive, we might lose him anyway if this situation leads to a break-down. Lt. Bates is sending a forensics team to Mr. Deeks' apartment as we speak. We're all meeting at the boatshed at 2:30 this afternoon to share everything we know with each other.""

Granger thought it over and then grudgingly agreed. "You're right…on all counts. God what a mess! I'm on my way. I'll be there in an hour. You can give me the rest of the details then."

"Very well Owen." Hetty hung up the phone and began planning her next move, all the while thinking about Marty and her promise to Sam.

~,~,~

Granger didn't waste any time. He was in his car on the way to OSP less than 10 minutes after hanging up the phone. As he drove toward the mission, he mulled over everything he had come to know about Deeks. If he was honest with himself, he had never thought the LAPD cop had it in him to be a part of NCIS. When he had first met the detective, he couldn't for the life of him understand what Hetty saw in him. All he saw was a laid-back, cocky, smart-ass California surfer with not much going on 'upstairs' and who didn't like to follow the rules. He didn't think much of him as a cop or a person.

Over time, he had come to see him in a completely different light and when he found out he was a lawyer, he had to rethink his opinion of the man's intelligence. As he continued watching how Deeks operated and more about the man Hetty had hand-picked and brought in to be Kensi's partner, his opinion continued to change and only for the better. The qualities that made Deeks such a great undercover operator and that he brought with him to the team had made the team itself better, much better. It had finally convinced him that Hetty might have been right about the detective. He also brought a lightness with him that helped dispel the tensions that always built up during a case. The team finally 'jelled' in a way they hadn't before he arrived.

Before Deeks, the team was great, but very serious, almost weighed down with the things they saw and did on a daily basis. Sam was Navy through and through; Callen was the quintessential lone-wolf and Kensi was one of the most driven women he had ever known. She was also wound tightly and didn't let anyone inside her personal boundaries. The whole team was like that. But when Deeks arrived, his sunny personality, the quips, jokes, smart-ass comments and his ability to think outside the box had completed the team. He was the puzzle piece that had been missing and when he arrived, all the pieces were in place to enable the team to not only be great, but to be superb.

Before he himself realized what was happening, Deeks had gotten to him in several different ways. _"I've got to admit Deeks has gotten under my skin. I can see why Hetty fought so hard to get him into NCIS and on Callen's team. His skills have enabled Kensi to become a better agent while his smart-ass attitude actually helped her lighten up some. In return, he's become a bit more serious because of her. His loyalty to his partner; hell to the whole team, and his determination to have their backs in any situation is good to know."_ he mused.

" _I think…no I know he would lay his life down for any one of us. He proved that when he followed the team to rescue Hetty from the Comescues and again last year. When I first met him though, all I saw was a cop who couldn't or wouldn't control his quips, retorts and jokes. He comes across as a beach bum half the time and the other half he's annoying the shit out of me. He can and will talk about some ridiculous subject or throw out a quip, joke or a smart-ass remark on a regular basis. The banter between him and Kensi borders on the obscene, but he never crosses the line. And can he talk…and talk…and talk! Sometimes I want to duct-tape his mouth shut to get some peace and quiet! It took the Sidorov situation and then his passion arguing about Alejandro and his family not being returned to Mexico to almost certain death for me to understand what a talented and extraordinary man he really is. Even if I did have to spend four hours on the phone making sure the family could stay here. I couldn't believe it when he told me he was going to hug me…and then did it. Sometimes, that young man…"_ he shook his head as he continued thinking about the enigma that was Marty Deeks.

Before he knew it he'd arrived at the Mission without remembering consciously driving there. He strode into the building purposefully. He would help Hetty and her team find Deeks and bring him home. Whoever had taken him, didn't realize the trouble they were in yet, but they were about to find out.

He stalked over to Hetty's desk, where she motioned for him to sit down.

He got comfortable in the chair before saying. "Tell me everything we know. We'll get him back, Henrietta."

Hetty sighed, "I know we will Owen, but what shape is he going to be in when we do?"

~,~,~

Dr. Govers introduced himself to Kensi as he began his exam of Monty. He talked softly to the dog the entire time taking a few minutes before he started to just pet Monty and praise him as a good dog which brought tears to Kensi's eyes as she stood there watching over his shoulder. When he touched Monty, it was very gently and whenever the dog would whimper, he would take another moment to soothe him before continuing. When he finished his exam, he looked up at Kensi with a smile on his face.

"Monty is going to be fine. He has some deep bruising on his side where it looks like he was kicked at least once. One of his ribs is cracked but there are no broken bones. He's lucky the rib isn't broken. After all, he's no longer a young puppy but the equivalent of a middle-aged man. All he needs is rest to get better, though it will take a little time for the rib to heal. I'm going to give him a shot for pain and prescribe some pain pills for him. Don't hesitate to give him them as prescribed if you think he needs them. He's had them before so I know he can handle them. Put the pills in a treat for him when you give them to him and he won't even know he's taking them."

Kensi's phone rang while Dr. Govers was explaining Monty's injuries to her. She excused herself and stepped out of the exam room to answer it. The caller ID showed it was Sam. "Hi Sam, did you find anything?"

"Nothing significant yet, Kens. Hetty wants you back at the Mission as soon as you're done there. If you can't get back here before 2:30, meet us at the boatshed. How's Monty?"

"He's going to be okay. The doctor is finishing up his exam now. I should be there in about 45 minutes depending on traffic. I'll see you then and give everyone the details." She hung up her phone and returned to the exam room.

"I've got to get back to work Dr. Govers. Can I take Monty home or does he have to stay?"

"I want to keep him here overnight so we can keep an eye on him just to be sure nothing else shows up. If he has an uneventful night, you can take him home tomorrow afternoon." the doctor reassured her.

Kensi could feel a huge weight lift from her shoulders. She hadn't known what she would do if Monty had been seriously hurt or worse, if he had died. Deeks loved his dog and would have been heartbroken if anything bad happened to him. She couldn't understand how anyone could hurt an animal. It was one more debt she was going to make sure the assholes who took Deeks paid. No one hurt him or Marty without having to face her. She was looking forward to extracting her own personal pound of flesh from the bastards responsible. Now all they had to do was find him and them. "Thanks Dr. Govers. I'll be back tomorrow morning before work to visit with Monty if that's all right."

"Its fine. Normal working hours are 9 am to 5 pm, but if you get here earlier, go around to the back and knock on the door. I'll leave instructions with the night attendant that you're to be allowed in to see Monty." She shook his hand then headed for her car.

She made the trip to OSP in record time. The traffic was lighter than usual which she was thankful for. After racing to the vet with Monty hurt in the back seat, it was actually relaxing to be able to drive like a normal person; well, like she normally drove anyway. When she arrived at the mission, she let everyone know that Monty would be okay and his most significant injury was a cracked rib from being kicked.

"Oh thank God." Hetty exclaimed. "Anyone who would hurt an animal is lacking in humanity. Its one more thing these people will be answering to me for."

Sam and Callen enveloped Kensi in a hug and whispered to her that they would find Deeks. No one was going to give up until they did. She knew what they were saying to make her feel better didn't mean that they would find Deeks alive. They had been very careful in the way they said they would find him. It was the same way she would say it to a loved one. She had to keep hoping that they would find him alive; it was the only way she could continue to function, but she knew it wasn't guaranteed.

~,~,~

Lt. Bates, a couple of hand-picked men and his forensics team met Hetty, Granger, Callen, Sam and Kensi at the boatshed. They took turns relating everything they knew, had found out, or suspected about Deeks' abduction, then the teams began brainstorming. One of the first decisions made was to compile a more current suspect list of who might want to hurt him. The next step would be to divide the list up into two parts with each team taking half to begin eliminating names. When all the names of people who couldn't be involved were eliminated, the resulting list of names would be more thoroughly investigated.

Both teams continued searching for any clues to where he might have been taken. LAPD and NCIS reached out to their respective informants asking them to put the word out on the street to the people Deeks had helped in the past to keep their eyes and ears open for anything relating to him. They were told to report anything, no matter how insignificant, that might be related to his disappearance to a special number Eric had set up.

As the afternoon progressed, the wonder-twins continued searching for the white van. Both of them were getting frustrated because they hadn't found anything new yet. It was as if Deeks had just vanished from the face of the Earth.

~,~,~


	8. Chapter 7 - Monty Comes Home

CHAPTER 7 - Day 3: Monty's Coming Home

The team gets their first look at Deeks while Kensi learns she can bring Monty home.

This chapter is a couple of days late, but it's a nice long one to make up for it. I was out of town the last three days so couldn't get this posted as soon as I wanted to.

My minions are starting to get names. Blood-Thirsty is the one who keeps hurting Deeks. He's very happy with this chapter I must say. Just remember, it's all his fault!

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Once again, thanks to everyone who's reviewed the previous chapter. I'm not getting that many so I cherish each and everyone of you who takes the time to leave one. Virtual milk and cookies to all of you. Nherbie is still reviewing my story for me and has given me much encouragement and advise to make this story better than ever. Any mistakes are mine alone.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

Kensi was still tired when she woke up the next morning. Her sleep had been filled with nightmares about what Deeks might be going through. She decided a stop at the vet's office to visit Monty before continuing on to work was just what she needed. Seeing him would make her feel a little better and at this point anything that helped was appreciated. As soon as she was shown into the dog room, he looked at her and gave a happy bark. He stood up slowly and wagged his tail while continuing to whimper in delight. She gave him some much needed attention before looking to the attendant, George, who gave her more good news.

"The doctor said Monty can go home today if there is someone to take care of him." he said. "He had a very easy night. He's going to be fine and he'll be much happier at home than here in the office," he told her.

"I'll be taking care of him until Deeks comes home."

"That's good. He really perked up when he heard you arrive. He misses you when you're gone. I can tell you're a significant part of his life so it will do him a world of good to be with you if Marty isn't available."

"Are you sure? He was in a lot of pain yesterday." She would never forgive herself if something happened to Deeks' dog because she didn't take good enough care of him.

"The doctor's sure. He'll be calling you to go over everything you'll need to know before taking him home. He's recovering nicely. He's just lonely here by himself. And it doesn't do his anxiety issues any good for him to be lonely. Take him home this evening and give him lots of attention. That's what he needs right now. It will be good for you too."

"Tell Dr. Govers thanks again." Just then the doctor walked into the room and saw her.

"Monty's doing great. You can take him home today."

"That's what George has been telling me. Thank you so much for taking such good care of him. How much is the bill? I'll be paying it since Deeks is gone."

"Don't worry about the bill. Marty has it set up so I bill his credit card if Monty needs care when he's undercover. We did that back when he first told me he was LAPD so everything is already taken care of. All you have to do is take care of Monty"

"I will. I'll be back this afternoon to pick him up."

Dr. Govers went over everything Kensi needed to know to take care of Monty. It was mostly giving him his medication if he needed it and giving him lots of love and attention. She assured the doctor she was looking forward to caring for him.

~,~,~

The team spent all morning of the second day since Deeks' disappearance working non-stop trying to find any clues to help them locate and rescue him. All of them were beginning to show the strain of worrying about their very own detective and the lack of progress that had been made. All they had succeeded in doing so far that morning was crossing names off the suspect list. The wonder twins were combing through traffic cams trying to find the white van, still trying to backtrack it to where it had come from the night he was snatched, but so far, they hadn't been successful either.

Both Nell and Eric looked haggard since they had been staying at the mission since Deeks went missing. They were taking turns sleeping on a cot in the burn room but both of them were sleep deprived. Eric was on his fifth Red Bull to stay alert and Nell had actually had three cups of coffee since she woke up a few hours earlier. She usually drank tea, but it wasn't giving her the jolt she needed so she had switched to the very strong coffee Callen brewed.

~,~,~

At lunch time, Hetty came into the bullpen to get an update on the teams' progress. As soon as Callen finished giving her the most current information they had, she turned to Kensi "Miss Blye, take a break, get something to eat and check on Monty again would you? We would all like to know how he is doing."

Hetty knew it would do her youngest agent a world of good to see Mr. Deeks' dog. Monty would be happy to see her and give her some much needed unconditional love; it was a win-win situation as far as she was concerned. Kensi didn't even try to argue. She knew it wouldn't do any good anyway so all she said as she was leaving was "I'll be back in an hour. Does anyone want me to bring them back some lunch?"

Both Sam and Callen shook their heads no.

"We'll get something from a food truck on our own. Give Monty hugs from us too." Sam replied. He might look and act like a hard-assed Navy SEAL, but everyone knew he had a soft gooey center and a big heart when it came to animals, especially Monty, Of course, he would deny it with his dying breath if anyone dared tell Deeks how he really felt about his dog. _"After all"_ he thought _"I have an image to uphold and I already told him I didn't like his dog. Deeks would never let me live it down if he found out how much I actually care for him and the mutt. He'd really get a swelled head, and it's big enough already. Besides, he's already bad enough with his quips, lame jokes and outrageous ideas. I think he does it just to get under my skin."_ Sam didn't realize or maybe didn't want to know that Deeks had figured out not long after the encounter with Sidorov what Sam's true feelings for both him and Monty were. They had never talked about it and they still had issues on occasion, but things between them were getting better all the time.

Kensi drove to the vets office and spent almost half an hour with Monty. His tail was wagging the minute he saw her come through the door. She got down on her knees, hugging him and rubbing his belly while telling him what a good dog he was. Giving him some much needed attention helped her as well. She was glad to hear he was continuing to do much better than the day before and appeared to be in even less pain as he had been when she stopped by that morning. The doctor assured her he would make a full recovery and could go home that evening with her.

On her way back to OSP, she found herself in front of Deeks' favorite taco truck. Her worry over what might be happening to him that very minute overwhelmed her all over again and she felt tears begin to fill her eyes. She sat in her car for a few minutes concentrating on controlling her emotions. She didn't want to break down and cry but her worry over Deeks had her throat tight and her eyes brimming with unshed tears. All she could think about was how hard it had been for him to get over Sidorov and she was so afraid that this time, he wouldn't be able to overcome whatever was happening to him. Somehow, she knew whatever was happening, it wasn't good. She was frustrated, angry and, even though she hated to admit it, afraid. She wanted to shoot whoever had taken him. Once she had achieved a modicum of calm, she picked up a couple of fish tacos for her lunch. She wasn't hungry but she knew Hetty would know right away if she didn't eat something. The woman had to have some kind of extra-sensory perception to always know when one of her agents were trying to hide something from her.

~,~,~

She rejoined Callen and Sam going through the list of suspects when she returned from lunch. About half the names on the list had been eliminated so far but there were still quite a few to investigate. Some were from when Deeks had been shot and others were from cases he had worked before and after becoming their liaison; LAPD undercover jobs and OSP missions both. Both Callen and Sam were surprised at how many cases he had completed as an undercover detective and how high his success rate was. They knew he was good, but seeing all the evidence in black and white right in front of them brought the point home of _just_ how good he was. It was slow tedious work, but had to be done. None of them were giving up until he was safely back with them where he belonged.

They worked steadily most of the afternoon making quite a bit of progress in trimming the suspect list down and were taking a short break when Eric appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked worn down and worried as he yelled down to the bullpen. "We just received an email, supposedly from Deeks with a link to a web site in it."

Everyone, including Hetty and Granger hurried up to ops, taking their places in the room. Once everyone was ready, Hetty told Eric "Bring up the website, Mr. Beale and try to track where it is coming from."

He clicked on the link and started the trace running. The team was 'rewarded' with the view of a black screen. Over the course of a couple of minutes, letters appeared one by one on the previously blank screen, spelling out the words "Looking for Someone?" in stylized type. The letters were blood red in color and ended with drips at the bottom of each that looked like drops of blood dripping down into a pool of blood underneath them along the bottom of the screen. There was also a button at the bottom right of the screen with a single word on it "Play".

"Someone has a macabre sense of humor." Hetty stated dryly. "Play it, Mr. Beale."

Eric hit the play button reluctantly. Everyone in the room knew from past experience what they were about to see probably wouldn't be pretty and were proven right. Eerie music began to play and a room slowly came into view. It was empty except for a chair in the middle of it with a table along one wall. The table contained syringes, cups, a slim branch somewhat like a cane, what looked like a cattle prod, a whip, bottles of various liquids and pill containers along with other items that couldn't be identified. There were rings cemented into one wall as well as the ceiling of the room that looked like they could be used to secure someone to either. Tied to the chair in the middle of the room with zip ties, a gag in his mouth and a spotlight shining down on him was their very own liaison officer. He looked unconscious and had been savagely beaten at some point. Gasps came from Nell and Kensi at the sight of him. Eric took a quick look at the plasma and then concentrated on trying to backtrace the link.

What could be seen of Deeks' body was covered in a multitude of welts; some of them oozing blood. In between the welts his body looked like one huge bruise. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and what looked like sleep pants but nothing else. There was a small pool of what looked like dried blood on the floor underneath the chair. A minute or so after the room appeared, a man came into view, keeping to the shadows away from the light and pulled Deeks' head up by his hair so the team could see him. His face looked as bad as the rest of his body.

As his face came into view, the team could see that his lips were split and swollen. There was blood crusted under his nose and around his mouth, with bruises forming around both eyes. Both eyes were swollen, one almost completely shut. His pupils were huge and his jaw was black and blue and might have been broken it was so swollen. Nell fought down the nausea she felt in the pit of her stomach, determined not to lose it in front of everyone. A few tears slowly trickled down her face.

Kensi's eyes filled with tears seeing Deeks looking like he had already been tortured repeatedly. _"Oh dear God, Deeks. What has he done to you?"_ was all she could think. Rage began infusing her body and she made a promise to herself and to Deeks that she would make whoever had done this to him suffer and suffer greatly once she caught up with them.

Callen's jaw clenched tightly and his lips thinned in anger at the sight in front of him. His normally sparkling blue eyes were dark and stormy reflecting the anger he was hiding from the rest of the team. He showed no other emotion at the shape Deeks was in but was thinking murderous thoughts. _"I'm going to find you and end you, you bastard. Who the hell are you? Why don't you come into the light so I can see you? I'll go to hell itself and unleash its hounds to get to you if I have to. You don't know what's coming, but you're going to find out and soon."_

Sam swore beneath his breath using every swear word he knew in several different languages. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white while his fingernails were marking the palms of his hands with crescent-shaped cuts. He wanted nothing more than to get his hands on the man who had beaten Deeks.

Hetty's eyes narrowed in anger. Her mind went into overdrive as she tried to burn the image of the room and Deeks' face into her brain. She looked everywhere around the room, noting as many details as possible; knowing that any small detail could lead them to where he was being held.

Removing the gag from Deeks' mouth, the unknown man snarled "Come on Marty, say hello to your team" as he continued holding his head up by his hair and giving him a little shake. "Now don't be stubborn Marty; you know you'll pay for it if you are." As Deeks sat there silent, He slapped him lightly across the face then snarled again "Say hello Marty! See, over there is the camera and you're being watched right now."

The team could tell he wasn't totally with it, but each cheered silently as he sat there refusing to make a single sound. He wasn't going to give into the asshole by talking, _"I'm not giving you the satisfaction you shithead! Why should I say anything for you? You're going to do what you want to me whether I say anything or not. I'm not stupid. I don't even know if you're telling the truth about my team seeing this. I may die in this room, but if I do, I'm going to go out like a man. Besides, I have faith my team is doing everything they can to find me. Find me they will, and when they do, your ass is grass, my friend. Kensi is going to shoot you in your lunchbox. That is if she doesn't kick it clear into the next zip code. Then she's going to watch while Sam and Callen take their turns with you. And don't even get me started on Hetty, the tiny terror. You'll wish you'd never been born if she gets hold of you. You're going to be so sorry you ever grabbed me, my man."_

Deeks prayed that his team wasn't seeing him like this. " _Besides, I think you're lying and they aren't seeing this; at least I hope you are. Kensi will be devastated if she's seeing this. I promised her I wouldn't die on her and I'm not about to break that promise if I have anything to say about it. I'm not going to leave her."_ He hadn't noticed a camera in the room earlier and couldn't see the one his captor had pointed out even now. If his team _was_ watching him, he was going to show them he was determined to get through this ordeal and would continue fighting against the jackass holding him until they found him. He knew they were already searching. He couldn't help but hope they found him soon though. He had already been beaten several times and drugged. He wasn't looking forward to more of the same. He hadn't been given anything to eat or drink since he had been grabbed either and his thirst was becoming unbearable.

~,~,~

Sam continued staring at Deeks remembering the ordeal they had gone through with Sidorov. _"God Deeks not again. You don't deserve this, no one does. You're a good man and a good friend."_ He kept trying to see the unknown man's face, but was unable to see any details. _"Why does this asshole have to stay in the shadows? I want to see his face; I need to see his face so I can find him and gut him like a fish. Three hots and a cot are too good for him. Hold on Deeks, we're coming for you! Don't you dare die on us. I absolutely forbid it! It will kill Kensi if you do and you promised her you wouldn't leave her. You always keep your promises. We're looking for you and we're going to find you and take this guy out. If he survives Kensi, he's going down a very dark hole for a very long time; that is if one or the other of us doesn't kill him 'accidentally'."_

Kensi gripped the edge of the table in front of the plasma trying to keep her tears from overflowing. She had a look of pure rage on her face. _"When I catch up with you asshole, you're going to be singing soprano for the rest of your life and peeing through a tube. And that's if I don't just kill you and get it over with! I promise you that. Deeks don't you dare die on me, you promised! I need you to survive. I don't want to face life without you with me, so fight! We're coming for you. Stay alive; stay strong and know we're looking for you right now and we're going to find you. That's my promise to you."_ Kensi thought back to the morning three days ago now when he'd wanted her to cancel her plans and spend the evening with him. How she wished she had done so. _"If I had only stayed with you, none of this would have happened! This is my fault. I just had to spend the evening with my girlfriends instead of the man I love and this is what happened. Can you ever forgive me Deeks?"_ If she wasn't so distraught at the moment she'd have realized nothing was her fault.

Callen continued standing in the same place in ops staring at the screen in front of him like a statue. At first glance, he looked the same as always. His face gave nothing away until his eyes came into view. Anyone who really looked at him would have sworn that his eyes were smoldering with a burning need to get to Deeks. He stood there with thoughts of retribution running through his head. When he caught up with whoever had done this to their liaison, he made a promise to himself he'd be very sorry. He would regret the day he'd been born. Everything the unknown man did to Deeks, Callen would take great pleasure in doing to him. Nobody messed with his family and got away with it if he had anything to say about it. And their detective was family. _"I didn't see what Hetty saw in him at first. And if I'm honest with myself, I was angry at Hetty for saddling me with an LAPD detective without even discussing it with me first. This is my team. But, he's good; better than good. He's made all of us better. He's proven to all of us on more than one occasion that he would lay down his life for us. I think the turning point for me was when he followed us to Romania to save Hetty. He didn't have to do that. He isn't even an agent, but he didn't hesitate."_ Callen made Deeks a promise. _"I'll get you back Deeks. And I'll do whatever it takes too. You're worth it."_

Hetty had her hands clasped in front of her as she concentrated on the images before her on the plasma. Her heart had clinched when she got a good look at the state her liaison officer was in. She knew he was tough, a lot tougher than most people gave him credit for. He would never have survived his childhood if he hadn't been. He'd survived everything that had been done to him previously, but this might just be the proverbial last straw. Hetty was well aware that a person can only take so much physical and emotional damage before they break. She didn't regret recruiting him; he was extremely well suited to be an agent and she knew that if he had stayed in LAPD, he would have probably died before this. It didn't help relieve her of her feelings of guilt though. As operations manager, it was her job to send her agents into harms way and she was very good at her job. But being good at her job didn't mean she didn't worry every time she sent the team out on a case. She always made sure they had as much backup as possible and as many resources as she could provide. But he hadn't been on a case. He had been in his own home when he'd been snatched. Even though he hadn't been abducted during a case, she felt guilty because she was responsible for him; she'd promised Sam she would keep him safe; but once again, she hadn't been able to do so. _"Oh Sam, I'm so sorry. Look after your boy until we find him, please."_

~,~,~

The unknown man looked up at the camera and smirked "Thanks for joining us. I've been wanting to meet you all for a very long time. You can call me, oh let's see…how about Leon. That's not my real name of course but it will do for now. As you can see, Marty and I have been having a very good time partying and we're going to continue in just a little while. I was sure you wouldn't want to miss it. You see, Marty and I have a long history together, though I don't think he remembers me at the moment…he will soon though, soon."

Leon turned to Deeks and continued talking. "Marty, you had better say hello to your team. I'm sure they would like to know how much you're enjoying yourself. A little birdie told me you used to be known as Party Marty, so come on! Get with it. You should enjoy this next little while a lot…of course not as much as I will." he hissed as he forced liquid into Marty's mouth. "Be a good boy now and swallow Marty" he snarled. Marty struggled to spit the liquid out but Leon kept his hand over his mouth and pinched his nose until he was forced to swallow what he'd been given.

Deeks couldn't help himself though he knew it wasn't a good idea to antagonize Leon. He also knew he would pay for the smart-ass remark that came from his lips. "You are such a pathetic asshole." he spat out.

He was right, he paid for it. Leon yelled "What did I tell you about showing some respect!" then punched him repeatedly in the face until he slumped forward in the chair fighting to stay conscious. He would _not_ give Leon the satisfaction of grunting in pain.

Leon finally stopped hitting him and looked up at the camera "Enjoy the rest of the show. Marty has to learn to show me some respect. We've talked about this before but as you can see, he's a slow learner." Leon put the gag back in Deeks' mouth. "There's so much more to come." he laughed wickedly before taking a syringe from the table along the side of the room and injecting the contents of it into Deeks' arm. Marty jerked at the sting of the needle and glared at Leon but couldn't speak through the gag as the man turned and left the room.

He looked up toward the camera Leon had pointed out once he was gone, praying it was a fake and the team wasn't seeing what he was going through. He then looked to his left at the window while trying to get out of his restraints. His struggles caused his wrists to begin bleeding. The team watched as blood dripped down onto the floor from them. They continued watching him silently, trying to send him strength. Within a few minutes they could see him begin to react to whatever he'd been given. His pupils became even more dilated as he began looking wildly around the room in terror; seeing and hearing things that weren't there.

He bucked repeatedly against his restraints making low animal noises through the gag as the images he was seeing and the sounds he was hearing frightened the hell out of him. _"Who is that? Is that who I think it is? It ca…can't be; he's dead. Hetty said so. Wh…what's happening to me? What did that bastard inject me with? It's got to be messing with my mind…yeah that's it…this isn't real. It can't be real. But…that sound, those noises…it sounds like someone is being beaten. Oh no…not again…don't hurt her you bastard! Leave her alone!"_ His struggles resulted in additional bleeding as the skin was torn by the zip ties on his hands and legs. He wasn't aware of the damage he was doing to himself as his struggles increased; additional moans making their way past the gag. He was shaking his head trying to clear it, while bucking and arching his back as though he was in pain. Suddenly his entire body began jerking as he experienced a seizure of some kind. Everyone in ops kept waiting for the seizure to end but when it did, they could all see that Deeks was unconscious and slumped in the chair.

Kensi couldn't watch anymore and turned away from the monitor. The tears that had been pooling in her eyes finally overflowed and dripped down her cheeks.

The rest of the team stood there in silence until the screen went black. No one moved when the 'show' ended until Hetty spat out "Bastard!" She shook her head and then continued "Mr. Deeks needs us at our best. Let's get back to work. I'll inform Lt. Bates about the latest development in his abduction. Mr. Beale, please send him an email with the link to the website attached. I'll be in my office." As Hetty left ops, the team followed her; each making themselves a promise to do everything in their power to find Deeks. Nell and Eric turned to their computers to do what they did best, hoping to find something, anything that would help the team find him.

~,~,~

As soon as she reached her office Hetty prepared a pot of tea. She was badly in need of a soothing blend so decided to try some Makaibari Estate Silver Tips White tea. It was a new blend for her. She concentrated on making the tea, following each step with precision to help take her mind off her worries about Marty. She couldn't think of him as 'Mr. Deeks' in her thoughts, she always thought of him as Marty. As the tea steeped, she noted it produced a light, golden-amber infusion. The smell was inviting, with notes of citrus and muscatel layered over a slight sweetness. She waited until the tea was ready and had a cup of it in front of her to call Lt. Bates. The phone in his office rang repeatedly. She was about to hang up when the man himself answered. "Bates here."

"Hetty Lange here Lt. Bates. I have some new information for you along with a video from a website that shows Mr. Deeks with one of his captors. My tech, Mr. Beale, sent you the video in an email a few minutes ago. Have you received it yet?"

"Let me check my computer…hold on a minute…yes here it is."

"Before you watch it, I must warn you that it is very disturbing. In my opinion, we're dealing with a mad man, even though we haven't yet identified him. I'll wait while you watch it. Then we can discuss our next move."

Lt. Bates opened the attached link from Eric's email then hit the "Enter" button on his computer to begin watching. He had the same thoughts as Hetty when the black screen appeared with the words on it. As he watched the video, his hands clinched into fists and his eyes narrowed in rage as he got his first look at his detective since the kidnapping and what he was being put through. _"You bastard! You low-life cock-sucking pond scum!"_ He thought as he tried to identify Leon. _"Come on Deeks, hang in there. I know you've been beaten and drugged but I have faith in you even if you do annoy the living crap out of me on a regular basis. You've survived worse before and come back stronger. We're looking for you and we'll find you, trust me on that. You're our number one priority. Wait until I get my hands on Leon or whoever the hell this jackass is. He's going to regret everything he's doing to you. He'll find out it's not as much fun being on the receiving end of things, let me tell you."_ He watched the video through to the end in silence, seething in anger.

Hetty waited patiently for Lt. Bates to return to the phone after watching the video. She didn't need to see it again, once was enough. She was sure Bates was feeling many of the same emotions everyone else had felt on seeing the condition the detective was in. She didn't have long to wait after he finished watching it.

He took several minutes to calm down once it was over before he could bring himself to say anything to Hetty. When he did, his voice was husky and rough with suppressed anger. "Have you gotten anything usable from the video?"

"Not yet, but my techs are trying to get facial recognition on the man calling himself Leon. He stayed in the shadows so any image we get won't be very good, but I have the very best in Miss Jones and Mr. Beale. If anything can be found, they _will_ find it. I'll call you as soon as I have anything."

Bates sighed before ending the call. "I'll let you know if I hear anything new as well."

"Let's hope we find him soon, and that he's still alive. If this Leon person continues torturing Mr. Deeks it's possible he won't make it back from this and I will take it most personally. I will be extremely angry. He _doesn't_ want to see me angry." Hetty gently placed the phone down on her desk.

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	9. Chapter 8 - Continuing the Search

CHAPTER 8 - Continuing the Search

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Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. You've made my week! To my Spanish reader: Muchas gracias por sus amables palabras. Realmente lo apreciamos. Me alegro de que usted está disfrutando de la historia. To my French reader: Je ne suis pas surpris que vous aviez mal à traduire l'expression « tirer dans la boîte à lunch ». « Boîte à lunch », "junk" « nom de plumes » et « package » sont tous les termes d'argot pour testicules et/ou le pénis de l'homme. Je suis heureux que vous vous plaisez dans l'histoire. N'hésitez pas à poser des questions sur les conditions, de que vous n'êtes pas sûr.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Mike Donaldson, Leanne Sykes, Harry Denton and Samuel Deeks.

Nherbie is still reviewing my story for me and has given me much encouragement and advise to make this story better than ever. Any mistakes are mine alone. My minion Romeo poked his head out of the closet for a few paragraphs in this chapter. You'll hear from him again.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

Hetty continued to sit at her desk sipping her Makaibari Estate Silver Tips White tea as she went over everything they'd seen on the video and what they knew so far about Marty's abduction. They had few clues and though Nell and Eric were combing through the images they had been subjected to, they had yet to find anything useful. And all the while they were trying to find clues, the team knew he was being tortured. She was the only person in OSP who knew about the previous times he had been tortured or badly injured while undercover for the LAPD; which only served to increase her worry that this time might be the time that finally broke the young man she had promised to protect.

Hetty was getting more frustrated the longer she thought about what he was going through. Anyone looking at her wouldn't be able to tell how frustrated she was; her face was its usual blank mask. But her mask was only hiding her rage that someone was torturing him again; and on her watch. When they found the man, and she vowed they would find him, she was going to make sure he suffered mightily for the remainder of his life.

The team spent the afternoon continuing to go over Deeks' old cases, adding to the list of possible suspects. When Hetty finally appeared in the bullpen to send them home for the evening, all three of them were surprised at how late it was. Usually paperwork like they were doing made for very long days, but they were so invested in finding Deeks as soon as possible, none of them had noticed the passing hours.

"I've already sent Miss Jones and Mr. Beale home. It's late and I need all of you at your best. Be here bright and early tomorrow morning."

One look at Hetty's face convinced all three remaining members of her elite team to do what she said without protest. Kensi made a beeline for the vet's office to pick up Monty. She'd called them that morning to tell them she'd be late and to apologize. They'd made arrangements for her to knock on the employee entrance when she arrived. The night assistant would have Monty ready to go home. All she had to do was call before she left work.

She had told the receptionist. "I can do that. Who's the assistant I'll be meeting?"

"Mitch is working tonight. He and Monty get along well and he volunteered to spend the extra time with him until you arrive." the vet's receptionist replied.

"Tell him I said thanks. You've all been absolutely wonderful. Please thank Dr. Govers and everyone who's been taking care of Monty for me."

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Kensi stopped off at Hetty's office before leaving for the evening. "Hetty, I'm picking Monty up from the vet's tonight. Is it okay to take him to Deeks' apartment? I think he'll be more comfortable there than at my place. He's used to being home alone there while Deeks works." Since his apartment was considered a crime scene, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay there until the techs had finished getting everything they could from. She didn't want to inadvertently compromise any possible evidence waiting to be found when she took Monty back there.

"Mr. Deeks' apartment has already been released as a crime scene. You can take him there and have someone clean up the place if you want to, Miss Blye." Hetty looked closely at her youngest agent. Kensi was putting on a good show, but she could tell Deeks' abduction was weighing heavily on her. "We'll find him Miss Blye. I promise you that."

"I know, and thanks for saying it. I know we're all working hard to get him back. I…I just worry about him, you know? He's already been through so much the last year or so. I can't help but think this may be worse than when he was taken by Sidorov. I keep…" she had to stop there to keep the tears pooling in her eyes from dripping down her face before continuing "I worry that this time may be the final straw…it may be too much. That this will break him for good."

"As do I, my dear, as do I." Go home and get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow and I need you at your sharpest."

"Yes, Hetty." Kensi turned to leave but when she was about 10 feet away from Hetty's desk, Hetty called out "And eat something Miss Blye. You need to keep your strength up for when we get him back. He's going to need you then."

She turned her head giving her a tremulous smile. "I will, I promise."

"Good, now scat!" Hetty shooed her away with her hands before going back to what she'd been doing.

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Kensi arrived at the vet's office looking forward to taking Deeks' dog home with her. She went around to the door she'd been told about and knocked. A veritable giant of a man opened the door. Kensi thought he must be at least 6 foot, 5 inches tall with shoulders that looked like they wouldn't fit through a normal door. He had longish blonde hair that looked very similar to Deeks' along with a short neatly tended beard and massive hands. If she'd met him in a dark alley, she would have been a little leery of him. He took one look at her, took her hand gently in one of his and said in a very gentle, charming southern accent. "Come in. I'm Mitch and you must be Monty's mom. He's waiting for you. He's a great dog and I've enjoyed taking care of him."

He led her into the dog room where she saw Monty standing at the door of his kennel looking toward the entrance. When he saw Mitch and Kensi, he gave a happy little bark and started wagging his tail.

" _Oh look at him, he's really okay. I was so worried. I'm going to take such good care of him until we find Deeks and we will find him. It will be good for me. The doctor was right; it will help me cope with his absence."_ Kensi smiled at Mitch who was already getting Monty out of the kennel and putting his leash on him. He then pulled out the meds Dr. Govers had ordered for him and went over the treatment plans the vet had also provided. Kensi listened very carefully to everything she was told. She wanted to make sure she did everything right.

"Thanks for having him ready. Tell the doctor and everyone involved in his care that I can tell you all took very good care of him. It was nice to meet you Mitch." Kensi started petting Monty "Do you want to come home with me, boy?" He looked at her and began wagging his tail again and started for the door. "Yes I guess you do. Come on then, let's go home. You're going to be staying with me for the next few days until your 'daddy' comes home."

She turned to Mitch again and said goodbye; then she and Monty headed for her car while she kept thinking _"And he will come home. He will! We'll all be there helping him get better and come to terms with whatever is happening to him right now. I'm not going to let this break him, I'm not. He's my partner and I know how strong he is. Besides, he promised me; he'll keep it too."_

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She grabbed something to eat for both her and Monty then proceeded to her apartment. She walked in with the dog on his leash and immediately knew that she wouldn't be coming back here after she took him to Deeks' place. It didn't feel like leaving Monty alone was the right thing to do. He'd be much happier in his own home. Besides, she missed Deeks so much; she wanted to be surrounded by his things and his smell. She grabbed some clothes and other items she might need and headed back out to her car with his dog right by her side the whole way.

Monty seemed to know they were going to his 'home' because he was sitting in the backseat of her car staring intently out the window. As soon as the parking lot of Deeks' apartment came into view, Monty let out a sharp bark and looked at Kensi as if to say _"Come on, let's get inside."_

"You're ready to be home, aren't you boy. You miss your 'daddy', don't you?" She gave his ears some good scratches then put his leash back on him to go up to Deeks' apartment. _"I miss him too…so much. Please Marty, please be okay; you have to be okay. We're coming for you, I promise. We…I won't stop until I find you and bring you home. We all feel the same way. You do what you have to do to come back to me, to all of us. The team needs you and I…I can't lose you, I just can't. I don't know what I'll do if I lose you. I love you."_

She gave Monty his dinner and some fresh water before going back down to her car to grab the things she'd brought with her. It took her two trips to get everything from the car she thought she would need. She then sprawled out on the couch and attempted to eat her dinner. The food in front of her didn't appeal to her. She didn't know if she could eat anything and keep it down. Her stomach was in knots worrying about Deeks, but she could hear his voice in her head _"Come on Sunshine, you know you have to eat to stay strong for me. I'm going to need that strength when you find me. And I'm counting on you to find me. I'm fighting with everything I have in me to come back to you. I love you too sugarbear; I love you so much."_

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Monty stayed right by Kensi's side as she moved around the apartment. Since the forensics team Lt. Bates had assigned to the case had already been through the apartment with a fine-tooth comb, Hetty had given her permission to not only leave Monty there but to have someone clean the place. It didn't feel right to have someone else in his apartment, so she began cleaning it herself, starting with the kitchen. She washed all the dishes, and cleaned out the cupboards and arranged them back in the order Deeks kept them in. She cleaned out the refrigerator and mopped the floor. Once the kitchen was sparkling, she smiled to herself. _"If Marty could see me now and see how his kitchen looks, he'd be amazed. He doesn't know I can clean with the best of them. My dad insisted on me learning and he believed in checking the results with white gloves. He'd tell me that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. Cleaning helps me take my mind off my troubles when I'm sad or wrestling with a problem. Right now, saving Deeks is my problem, but I can't do anything about it at this minute. I can clean though."_ She stood there for several minutes admiring the job she'd done before heading into the living room to clean it too.

She didn't feel it was necessary to let Hetty know she was staying there. She probably already knew anyway; that's just the way Hetty was. Not much got past her.

She spent an hour cleaning up the living room, throwing away what couldn't be salvaged and putting everything else back where it belonged. She cleaned up the glass from the picture frames that had shattered during the fight, making herself a note to get the glass replaced. When she found his cat pillow in the corner, she was surprised to find herself sobbing as she put it back on his couch. _"The first time I saw this pillow was after he was tortured by Sidorov. After pulling away from all of us for so long, he finally answered his door and let me in. I stayed with him and he was finally able to sleep."_ As soon as she got herself back in control, she vacuumed the floor and polished the furniture.

Once the living room was spotless, she took a shower, found an old t-shirt of Marty's she loved and a pair of his boxers to use as sleepwear. She started to pull the shirt over her head but stopped when she smelled his distinctive odor; salt, sea water and the deodorant he used. She spent a few minutes with her nose buried in the shirt breathing in the smell of him before she put it on. Then, she called to Monty and they spent the evening sitting on the couch with Kensi giving him a lot of love and attention while watching Titanic.

Half-way through the movie, she was asleep on the couch as the day's events caught up to her. She'd been sleeping for about an hour when she found herself in the throes of a full-blown nightmare. She was clearing one side of a building while Callen and Sam were clearing the other side when she found Deeks' limp body. She ran into the room shouting _"No! Nooo! Marty, what did he do to you? Come on, look at me Marty, please."_ In her nightmare, he was lying in the corner of the filthy room he'd been video-taped in. He was emaciated and filthy. He'd been beaten to within an inch of his life. He was covered in blood and cold to the touch, so cold. Her heart was in her throat as she gathered him into her arms, searching for a pulse. She let her breath out when she finally found a weak one that was much too slow for her liking. She screamed for Callen and Sam to come and help her, but it wasn't the two of them who showed up in the room, it was the person who'd taken Deeks. She couldn't see his face because it was a blank, but she knew it was him. She screamed at him. _"What have you done to him you sick bastard?"_

" _I did to him the same thing I'm going to do to you my dear. We're going to have some fun together. Marty's been partying hard with some drugs I gave him. It's your turn now."_ Kensi tried to fight him, but she couldn't seem to connect with any of her blows or kicks. It felt like he was nothing but smoke as she threw punch after punch and missed every single time. Soon she was winded; bent over with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath but he was still standing there smiling at her. When he began to advance on her, she knew she was going to die.

Right before the man reached her, Marty exploded from the corner to grab him from behind. They both fell to the floor and began punching each other while Marty screamed at her _"Run Kens. Don't let him get you. I don't want you to suffer what I have. This is hell and he's the devil. Please run. RUN! Kensi RUN!"_

Kensi was on the couch twitching while clenching and unclenching her fists as she moaned under her breath when Monty woke up and crawled into her lap to begin bathing her face with his tongue. The feel of his wet tongue woke her up with a start. Her heart was pounding, she was shaking in fear and she was covered in cold sweat. Once Monty saw she was awake, he whimpered at her while continuing to lick every inch of exposed skin he could find. "It's okay boy, I'm okay. It was a nightmare…it seemed so real, but it was only a nightmare." Kensi worked to slow down her breathing and her heartbeat as she began petting Monty. "Thanks for waking me up, boy. You're a good dog." She gave herself a little shake, then tucked the dog next to her side. "Thank God it was only a nightmare."

She looked at the clock on the fireplace realizing she'd only been asleep for a couple of hours. The nightmare had really shaken her up and she knew she would have trouble getting back to sleep. To take her mind off of it, she thought about the last time she and Marty had been at the beach together. She never got tired of watching him surf because he was in his element there. He moved with the waves like he was linked telepathically with them, moving through them gracefully and working them to get every last little bit of energy out of them to lengthen his ride. He was an amazing surfer, even if she usually made fun of him. It was just their banter. He knew he was good so he would tease her right back. His entire body relaxed when he was at the beach. He was more at peace with himself there. His eyes would sparkle and crinkles would appear at the edges whenever he smiled.

The last time they'd been there together she had worn a new red one-piece suit with cut-outs in strategic places on it. When Marty saw her in it for the first time, he was speechless for the longest time as his eyes widened with their color changing from the ocean blue they usually were to a deep cobalt blue. He began stammering "Kens…you're a vision in that suit. I…I mean you're…God you're absolutely breathtaking." he finally managed to choke out; not taking his eyes off of the woman standing in front of him. "I m…mean…you're always be…beau…beautiful, but today…seriously…today, you take my breath away. I must have done something right in a previous incarnation because I'm truly blessed to have you here with me, right now." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips before leaning back and continuing to drink her in with his eyes.

She remembered she'd blushed deeply, the heat rising into her face from her neck as he continued to stare at her. The cobalt blue of his eyes was intense and his blown pupils showed her how affected he was by the way she looked. As she looked into his eyes, they became turbulent and she didn't have to look down to know he was hard with desire. _"I've never felt more like a beautiful woman than that exact moment. He does it to me every time. How does he do it is what I want to know. All he has to do is look at me and chills run though my body."_

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Deeks slowly regained consciousness, trying to figure out why his wrists and ankles were so sore. His head was throbbing and he hurt everywhere. He hoped he was alone but even if he was, he knew he wouldn't be for long. His thirst was raging and he was weak from hunger. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten or had anything to drink. When he heard the door open behind him, he braced himself for what he knew was coming next.

Leon entered the room carrying a plate and a glass of what looked like water. Marty had never been so glad to see a simple glass of water in his life. Without saying a word, Leon untied one hand and handed him the glass. Marty looked at him then slowly sipped the water. He didn't want him to realize how desperate his thirst was. When he finished the water, Leon gave him the sandwich that was on the plate. Marty took bites of the sandwich without saying a word. It was only a half of a cheese sandwich but he was thankful for that much to eat. He couldn't figure out why he was being fed and what his captor was up to. Once the sandwich was gone, Leon tied his hand back to the chair and left the room. He'd never said a word which Deeks found disquieting to say the least. He couldn't figure out what his game was no matter how hard he tried.

Deeks was grateful for the food and water until the pain came. His muscles and stomach started painfully cramping, but he couldn't vomit or relieve the pain by moving his muscles no matter how hard he tried. Marty realized Leon had drugged him with the food or water and felt like a fool to have been unaware of what he was capable of. He finally figured out it was all part of the man's plan to break him and he swore to himself he wouldn't give the prick the satisfaction. He would never remember how long he sat there in agony from the pain because after the pain came the hallucinations. He saw his father taunting him and beating both him and his mother. He relived many of the beatings he had survived in his childhood as well as the night he finally took a stand and shot him. He saw visions of Leon torturing Callen, Sam and Kensi. When visions of his previous life weren't tormenting him, he would see monsters coming for him or one of his team. He couldn't help a few groans from getting past his lips but at least he was able to keep from screaming. After what felt like an eternity, he finally lost consciousness again slumping forward in the chair against his restraints.

When Leon had left the room, he proceeded into his equipment room and watched Deeks through the camera trained on him, hoping to see him screaming in fear. When that didn't happen, he was not only disappointed, but angry all over again. _"What is it going to take to break this bastard? I was sure he'd be screaming by now but the only sounds he's made are a few groans. What the hell am I doing wrong? I'll use the cane again but with a twist. Maybe this time will do the trick."_ He was looking forward to his next session with Deeks, but he'd have to wait until he was conscious once again.

He called Harry's number and waited patiently for him to answer. When he did, Leon began issuing orders. "I need you and Jimmy back here to help me with Deeks. How soon can you get here?"

"I just have to get Jimmy boss. We should be able to be there in an hour or so. Do you want us to bring anything with us?"

"No, just get Jimmy and get your asses here as soon as possible." Leon hung up the phone contemplating what the next morning would bring. He was confident that Deeks wouldn't be able to continue resisting him once he began the next part of his plan.

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Harry and Jimmy arrived at the building Deeks was being kept in two hours after being called by Leon. Before Leon could say anything, Harry apologized "We would have been here sooner boss, but there was a big accident on the 101 with all lanes blocked."

"Fine" Leon muttered. "Help me get Deeks tied to the wall. I have plans for him in the morning and I don't want him fighting us when we move him. Right now he's unconscious so it will be easy to get him on his knees and chained up."

The three men removed Deeks from the chair and dragged him over to the wall. Harry got him up on his knees facing it while Jimmy stretched his arms out and chained them to the rings. Leon then placed a board between his legs and tied his feet to it, one foot on each end of the board. The men then left the room with Deeks still unconscious.

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Kensi searched the TV channels for something to watch and finally found an old romantic comedy on a cable station. She didn't think she would be sleeping any more so grabbed a blanket to snuggle into and patted the seat beside her to get Monty to join her. She leaned back against Deeks' cat pillow running her fingers through the dog's fur and tried to concentrate on the movie. Before too long, the muted sound of the movie and his breathing relaxed her enough that she nodded off once again. However, this time she didn't have another nightmare. When she woke in the morning, she was pleasantly surprised at how rested she felt. Monty was still lying by her side as close as he could get to her with his head in her lap. "Did you watch over me in my sleep boy?"

He looked up at her, licked her hand, then jumped down from the couch and went to sit by the front door. Kensi looked at her watch surprised that it was already 7 am. If she hurried, she could get dressed and take him for a walk before she reported to OSP. She called out "I'll take you for a walk as soon as I get dressed Monty" then slipped into the bedroom to take a quick shower and dress. She was back out in the living room attaching Monty's leash to his collar in 15 minutes. She grabbed some poop bags and took him for a nice long walk to the beach and back. She then put out fresh food and water for him and left to get to work.

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	10. Chapter 9 - Bastinado

CHAPTER 9 - Day 4: Bastinado

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Here's another nice long installment for your enjoyment. Thanks go out again to everyone who has reviewed. You really do make me want to try harder to make this story the best it can be. I can't believe I have close to 100 reviews already.

Two of my plot minions, Blood-Thirsty and Romeo, were fighting over this chapter and Blood-Thirsty won this round, but Romeo can be very sneaky so don't count him out just yet.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Leon, Jimmy, Harry Denton and Samuel Deeks.

Thank you Nherbie for all of your wonderful help and encouragement on this story! Any mistakes are mine alone.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

Day 4 brought warmer weather into the room Marty was being held in. The sun shone brightly and there was a slight breeze. It was a gorgeous day to be out on the ocean with swells that were to die for, but Marty didn't know that. He woke up to find he was no longer tied to the chair but was on his knees on the floor facing one wall of the room. His arms had been pulled out as far as they would reach and chained to it with his feet tied to some type of plank or board which made it impossible to move either his feet or his knees. His mouth was as dry as the Sahara and he was hungry again. He swore to himself that he wouldn't take any more food or water from Leon. His knees and arms were aching badly letting him know he had been chained in the same position for a while. _"Oh no…oh God no…I have a bad feeling about this…a really bad feeling. I think this is going to be worse than my unplanned dentistry. It sure doesn't bode well for the home team, let me tell you."_ He then snorted to himself. _"Great, now I'm talking to myself and making lame jokes. Not a good sign Marty boy…not a good sign. Whatever this asshole is giving me must be really messing with my head. My stomach feels like it's been put through a blender on the puree setting. Whoever he is, he's a real whack job. I wish I knew who he was and why he's doing this. He says we know each other and whatever he's mad about is my fault, but I don't recognize his voice and I haven't gotten a good look at his face yet. What could I have done to him to deserve this? Why would anyone do something like this to another human being? Seriously, who does something like this?"_

He wondered how long it would be before his captor returned. He wasn't looking forward to whatever the man had planned for him now. He knew it wouldn't be good. He concentrated on psyching himself up to show no reaction or pain no matter what the scum bag did to him. He told himself again that he wasn't going to give him any satisfaction if he could help it. The bastard seemed to get off on it and any way that Marty could thwart his captor's desires was a win in his book. If he could, he planned to get in a few quips, wise-ass comments and smart remarks even though he knew he'd pay dearly for them.

After what seemed like hours, Marty heard the door open and several people enter the room. He tried to turn his head to look at them, but wasn't able to the way he was chained to the wall. He also didn't see the camera set up in the corner of the room. Leon turned to Harry and motioned for him to activate the camera and send another email to OSP from Deeks' address. He wanted Marty's team to see what he was going to do to him now. He was looking forward to the suffering they all were going to endure watching their detective being tortured.

~,~,~

Eric came down the stairs to fetch the team when the second email arrived. He didn't have the heart to call down from the top of the stairs. It didn't feel right to him somehow. "We've received another email." He then returned to ops with the entire team on his heels. Once again they were 'treated' to the opening screen but the words were different than before. Now they read "Can't Find Us Can You". Eric pressed the play button bringing into view the room with Marty and his captor. This time there two other men in the room with them.

"Hello NCIS. Welcome back to the Marty and Leon show. Today's show is going to be so much fun. We have an extra special guest with us today. I give you Detective Marty Deeks." Turning to Marty with a flourish he continued "Well, I see you're back with us too Marty. Just in time for the fun and games to begin again. I know you've been looking forward to this, but I don't think as much as I have. I'm planning to have a lot more fun with you today. We're going to have a party you see, all four of us, and you…well you're the piñata."

Marty's wiseassery was in full flower. "Your parties are lousy my friend. No wonder you can't get anyone to attend. I'm not here by choice which means only two people answered your invite. Pathetic man, pathetic. Get with the times; piñatas are so last week. Now dancing girls, that would be an awesome party."

"You won't think so for much longer Marty. I'm really going to enjoy this." Leon snapped. He couldn't believe the attitude Deeks was able to maintain and it irritated him beyond belief.

"Give it your best shot you low-life prick! I'm ready for you." Marty growled.

"I told you not to swear at me! For that, you'll pay even more." Before Marty could throw out another smart-ass remark, the cane he had been beaten with before whistled through the air as Leon began beating the soles of his feet with it. Leon had researched the technique thoroughly so he was careful to avoid his toes to prevent serious injury to his feet but he knew that the caning would cause intense pain. He concentrated on the muscular tissue in and around the arches of his feet.

He knew from his research that Deeks had to be in excruciating pain. The tendons, joints and muscles in the foot along with the nerve endings that were close to the surface would make the pain worsen the longer the caning went on. He also knew that as the pain continued building up it would then radiate up his legs, coursing throughout his body all the way to his head.

As Leon continued beating Marty's feet, he expected to hear screams coming from the man chained to the wall. Marty remained silent however, not giving him the satisfaction of crying out. The only sounds coming from him were low grunts each time the cane met the soles of his feet. The silence unsettled Leon and also made him angrier; convincing him to swing the cane even harder, hoping to elicit screams of pain from the detective. He didn't like the fact that Marty's team was watching and could see how strong he was being.

Marty may have been silent except for the grunts, but he was in agony. He had already bitten through his lip to keep from crying out. _"God this hurts…it hurts like a bitch! This is right up there with Manuel Guererra's beating and tasering of me! Man, why do I always find myself in these situations. If I didn't have bad luck I probably wouldn't have any luck at all. Was I so bad in a previous life or born under an unlucky star or something? Is there a sign on my back saying torture me? Seriously, why can't I catch a break here! I can't…can't take much more of this. This is the worst pain I've ever felt. Please God, let it be over, let me pass out or die or something. Anything to take the pain away."_

The only thing he could do to remain silent was to think of Kensi as he'd done when he had been tortured by Sidorov. He began building a picture of her in his mind; her eyes, her hair, her smile, her smell. It took him a while because of the pain, but finally he was totally immersed in memories of her and him at the beach with the sun shining down on them along with some awesome waves. He concentrated on the sound of the waves kissing the shore and then slipping back into the ocean like a lover's whispered promise.

He focused on Kensi's face and her gorgeous polychrome eyes. She was smiling at him and her whole face was lit up. He imagined taking her face between his hands and kissing her, using his tongue to ask for entrance to her mouth. He then thought about the many times he had dotted kisses all the way down her body from behind her ear to her gorgeous breasts where he would linger suckling one while rubbing his thumb over the nipple of the other breast and then suckling it in turn. He thought about continuing to dot wet kisses down to her inner thighs and the moans his kisses elicited from her as he brought her close to a climax with just his hands, mouth and tongue, before backing off and then beginning all over again.

He envisioned the sheen of sweat on her body and the look in her eyes right after they climaxed together; when they were both still tangled up in each other; hearts pounding, slick skin touching and soft sighs emanating from both of them. The images he was able to conjure from his memories became more real to him than what was happening to him at Leon's hands. Imagining the incredible touches and kisses he had shared with her on so many occasions helped him block out most of the pain. He wished he could pass out to get away from it completely but thinking of Kensi helped him remain silent through all of it.

Leon finally stopped beating Marty with the cane, disappointed that Marty had remained silent throughout. He turned to Harry and Jimmy. "Get him up and put his hands over the hook hanging down from the ceiling."

The two men unchained Deeks from the wall. As soon as his arms were free the pain intensified as the circulation improved. They removed the board then hauled him to his feet. It took everything he had in him not to scream in agony at the pain when his weight landed on his feet. He couldn't remain standing; slumping toward the floor so Harry and Jimmy dragged him over to the chain, tied his hands together and then hauled him up until they could secure his hands to the hook hanging from the ceiling. He could barely touch the floor, his body was stretched so far.

Leon then turned to the table along the wall and picked up a cattle prod. "Harry, hose him down. I want him wet before I use this."

Marty couldn't remain silent as the pain from the shocks the cattle prod produced on his wet body continued for what seemed like hours. He could hear the sizzling and smell his own flesh burning each time the cattle prod was placed against his skin. His moans slowly turned into heartrending screams each time he was shocked finally bringing a smile to Leon's face. _"Finally, the little fuck is breaking! About time too. I've waited years to hear him scream for me. He's gonna wish I'd killed him when I first got him before I'm done. I'm gonna take my time with this bastard. It's the least I can do for all the trouble he's caused me."_

Even through his screams at the shocks and the smell of burning flesh, Deeks didn't give in. "When I get free, I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch!" He yelled between the shocks and his screams. "I'm going to castrate you! You're a dead man, you hear me! A dead man!" He was continually twisting around as he hung from the chain which made his shoulders feel like they were being dislocated.

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The team stood as still as statues while Deeks was caned on his feet and then shocked repeatedly with the cattle prod. When he began screaming, the other analysts and techs in ops stopped what they were doing; looking at each other in horror.

Kensi's hands covered her mouth so she wouldn't cry out. Her eyes were full of unshed tears and her heart ached for him and what he was going through. She wanted nothing more than to find Leon and gut him. She stood there watching Marty take everything that Leon dished out without making any sounds except for the low grunts being forced out of his mouth. But when he began screaming from the shocks of the cattle prod, her heart felt like it was in her throat. _"I'm going to find you and turn you into a soprano, if Marty doesn't do it first. I swear it on my life. You're a dead man, you just don't know it yet Leon. I'm going to make what you're doing to him look like a day in the park!"_ She was desperate to find Deeks and take him into her arms to soothe his pain away but that monster had him and she didn't know where he was. She felt like screaming herself; anything to ease the pain she felt at watching the man she loved being brutalized.

Nell was silent as she watched Deeks being caned; when the screams began, tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't stop thinking about his quips and jokes which made the days a little brighter in the mission and to see him being beaten and shocked broke her heart. Nell was not a violent person by any stretch of the imagination even though she wanted to become an agent, but watching the video caused blinding anger to build up inside of her. She couldn't wait to see Leon get what was coming to him. She only hoped she was there to see it when the time came. It was all she could think to do for Deeks right then other than pray the team would find him, and in time; pray that he would come back to them unchanged from the man he was. She prayed that this wouldn't break his spirit.

Eric quit looking as soon as Leon used the cattle prod to administer the first of many shocks to Deeks' chest and back. He wished to heaven that he couldn't hear his screams. He was muttering under his breath "You bastard, you sorry excuse for a human being. You're nothing but a coward. You've got him trussed up so he can't fight back. That's the only way you think you can win. Well guess what, you won't win this time. We'll find you and we'll save him no matter how long it takes. Then I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you never have anything of your own. I'll wipe out any assets you manage to acquire. I'll make sure that everyone on this planet knows what kind of monster you are. You won't be able to walk down the street without being ridiculed when I'm done with you." He had seen and heard enough to give him nightmares about Deeks' ordeal for years to come.

Hetty stood there with her hands folded in front of her as if in penance for not protecting Marty as she had promised Sam she would do. She was feeling guilty even knowing she wasn't to blame. _"Oh Mr. Deeks, this shouldn't be happening to you. You should be here with us being a cheeky bugger not getting caned, shocked, beaten and drugged. I promise you Marty, we'll find you and we'll take Leon down. We're coming for you and hell's coming with us for Leon."_

Sam was breathing deeply, trying to keep himself from putting his fist through the plasma. Callen stood there; his face a blank mask, but Sam could tell by his posture, the tightness of his jaw muscles and the whiteness of the knuckles on his hands he was clenching so hard that his partner was barely in control. He knew Callen didn't handle strong emotions well. He only let a few people get close to him and he was very protective of them when they did. Callen had finally let Deeks in and now was very protective of him, so Sam knew he was going to have to stay close to G until they found and rescued Deeks. He knew he was very close to going rogue to find the monster torturing their liaison officer. Hell, Sam wanted to be out there right now tracking the asshole down, so he knew Callen was barely in control of himself.

Owen Granger was literally growling under his breath about what he was going to do to Leon when he caught up with him. Hetty would hear a few words every so often as he continued his tirade; words such as "rendition", "drop you down a dark hole", "Gitmo", "kneecap you", "water boarding", "inhuman monster" and "get my hands on you". Later Owen wouldn't remember anything he had muttered at the time.

After an interminable time, the team in ops realized that Deeks was unconscious but Leon continued to shock him for several more minutes before he stopped and put the cattle prod down. He left him hanging there, turned to the camera stating "Stay tuned, we'll be back for more" then motioned for Harry to stop the videotape and left the room.

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After taking several deep breaths, Owen Granger turned his back on the plasma. "Mr. Beale, Miss Jones, do you have anything new to report on our suspect? Anything at all?"

"I pulled some pictures of Leon and I'll get everything I can from them. I also pulled pictures of the men who took Deeks from his apartment. Facial recognition is problematic though since he stayed in the shadows and it was dark when Deeks was taken." Nell reported.

"I can tell you that the location he's being held in looks to be an older building; maybe some kind of industrial building. It would have to be empty or abandoned. I'll try to narrow it down." Eric added. "We may get lucky if we're successful in identifying the men who took Deeks. At least we now have a name. Did anyone else hear Leon call the one guy Harry? Maybe we can track their movements past West Pico after they took him from his apartment. We're still processing images from all the cameras found in the area but so far, I can't find them before seeing the van on West Pico. I'm not giving up though. I'll continue trying to track the web address to see if I can find where it originated from as well."

Nell took over "I'll start looking to see if I can find anything on a 'Harry'".

"Very good. Keep us informed of anything you find." Hetty answered before Owen could. She then turned to Callen. "Mr. Callen, what's your next move?"

Callen took a couple of deep breaths and then began issuing orders. "Eric, you and Nell keep us informed of anything you find. The three of us will continue investigating the list of possible suspects we have. We might be able to figure out who took Deeks and why."

"Very well, Mr. Callen. Mr. Beale, send this newest email to Lt. Bates at LAPD. We'll meet up again at 3 pm to see where we are. With that everyone left ops to continue combing over the suspect list in their attempt to find and rescue Deeks.

As everyone filed silently out except for Nell and Eric, Hetty motioned for Owen to follow her to her office. She pulled out a bottle of her special whiskey and offered him a shot. He took it gratefully, looking deep into the glass of amber liquid before letting a small sip slowly slide down his throat, savoring the burn and the rich feel of the liquor. As the whiskey settled smoothly in his stomach he thought again about the man he had come to admire and respect.

"Do you think Deeks will be able to come back from this Hetty? It hasn't been that long since the whole Sidorov mess and you almost lost him then. How much more can a single man take?" Owen Granger had seen a lot of horrendous things during his career, but what he had just seen, well it was right up there with the worst he'd ever seen or experienced.

"He's always come back before, Owen; and he'll continue to do so until one day he doesn't. Our Mr. Deeks is a lot stronger that people give him credit for. He proved that as a very young child and I believe his childhood experiences have made him the man he is today. He has his demons, but don't we all. If, and I mean if, he comes out of this alive, I think he'll be okay. I'm not saying it's not going to take time and some sessions with Nate or a psychologist of his recommendation to help Mr. Deeks come to terms with everything that's happening to him right now, but I have faith in him. As long as he knows we are behind him 100 percent and he has Miss Blye, I think he'll eventually be okay."

Granger continued looking at the liquid left in his glass "That's good to hear…good to hear. He's proven himself. I would hate to lose him as an asset."

"Owen, did I hear you correctly? I think our Mr. Deeks has grown on you."

"Yeah, well don't tell anyone. If you do, I'll deny it. After all, I have a reputation to uphold as a curmudgeon. When I first met him I wouldn't have believed it if anyone had told me I would end up respecting the man, but I do. If people knew how I actually felt about Deeks, it would undermine my authority as Assistant Director."

With that, they both went back to contemplating their drinks in silent companionship.

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Day 5:

Eric called the team as soon as the third message arrived along with a link to a different website. The team rushed into the ops center where they viewed the latest video. This one had the same screen at the beginning but with the words "Why Haven't You Found Me?".

Deeks looked unconscious in the view they had of him this time. They could tell he'd been beaten again at least once. He was once more tied to the chair and looked like he had already lost a significant amount of weight. His ribs were visibly protruding and his face seemed to be all sharp angles with none of the tan he usually sported. He had bruises in every shade imaginable over his entire visible body depending on when during the last five days they had been inflicted. The burns they could see from the cattle prod were red and angry looking. His hair was plastered to his head and what few clothes he was wearing were completely filthy and blood-stained.

As they watched once again in silence, Leon appeared in front of the camera. "As you can see, Marty and I have been partying quite heavily for a while now." Leon chuckled then continued. "He sure can't hold his drugs very well. He's such a light-weight! Right now he's sleeping off a unique combination of drugs I developed. And you know what the great thing is about this combination? It causes excruciating pain without knocking the person out. Marty has been experiencing this for the last few hours. I finally let him fall asleep about 30 minutes ago but I'll be waking him up if he doesn't come to for another round before too long."

A few minutes later, the team saw Deeks begin to struggle against the zip-ties. Soon his head came up from his chest. Both of his eyes were black with the right one so swollen again he could barely open it. He had huge dark circles under each of them. The team could tell that he wasn't really with it and as he continued struggling against the zip ties holding him to the chair, they saw the track marks in his arms from the number of times he had been injected; there were a lot of them.

Leon gleefully grinned. "See, I told you he would be joining us soon." Turning to Deeks he continued. "Ready for the next round Marty? You fell asleep before we finished our party. But you were so tired, I let you sleep for a while. You're such a light weight Party Marty." He pulled Marty's head back until the cords in his neck stood out from the strain. "And now that I think if it, such a bad boy too."

"Fuck you, man, and the horse you rode in on." Marty managed to gasp out. He might have been half out of it and in a world of pain; knowing he would pay for swearing at Leon, but he just didn't care anymore. He didn't realize the camera was on or that his team was watching. Nell gasped as Leon let go of his head then punched him in the face splitting his lips again and snapping his head back once more.

It took a couple of minutes before Deeks could again raise his head and glare at Leon. When he did though, he spat blood in his direction. "That the best you can do, you low-life prick? I've been hit harder by girls, man. Whose the lightweight now, huh? My girlfriend could chew you up and spit you out easily." Marty's wiseassery was once again in full flower. The team was encouraged he still had enough spunk to throw out quips. They wished he could hear them so they could let him know they were looking for him.

"What have I told you about swearing at me?" Leon yelled as he hit Marty several times in the stomach eliciting groans from the bound man.

When he could speak again, he taunted his captor. "What, did I hurt your delicate feelings with my words Leon?" Marty huffed. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize you're so sensitive. But you see, you've made a mistake…a big mistake…huge!…and it's gonna cost you, my man. My team's searching for me and they _will_ find me. When they do, they'll find you too. I almost pity you once they do. You have no idea of the trouble you're going to be in."

"You won't be so snide in a couple of minutes." Leon turned to the table along the wall and picked up a syringe. "Here's your reward for your foul mouth." He injected the syringe into Marty's arm, not caring that when he pulled it out he tore some of his skin.

"I almost pity you, you low-life scum. You can't handle me unless I'm tied up and chock full of drugs can you? I scare you that much do I? You are such a loser." Marty gave Leon a shit-eating grin before continuing. "Man you are such a pussy. You're pathetic, my man; absolutely pathetic."

Leon's eyes narrowed in anger but he stood there patiently waiting for the drugs to take effect. He knew Marty wouldn't be such a wise ass then. Within five minutes, Marty began to writhe helplessly in the chair and bite his lips causing them to begin bleeding again so he wouldn't scream and give the bastard holding him the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in. Leon watched for a couple of minutes before turning, smiling at the camera then leaving the room.


	11. Chapter 10 - Carelessness and a Clue

CHAPTER 10 - Carelessness and a Clue

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I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Harry Denton, James Madison, Leon and Samuel Deeks.

My minion Bloodthirsty still has control of the story, the little monster but Romeo has snuck himself in a little bit as well.

Thanks go out to everyone who has read, favorited, followed or reviewed this story; especially to RhondaLara, Cheryl, AdriannaDricks, Hoosier65, sassyzazzi, TMVH50, honus47, Marcy, BlondeLunaa and several guest reviewers. Thank you all for your thoughts. You all are amazing.

Thanks go out again to nherbie for her amazing help in making this chapter better than I thought it could be.

Thoughts are in italics.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy

~,~,~

Within five minutes, Deeks began to writhe helplessly in the chair and bite his lips causing them to begin bleeding again so he wouldn't scream and give the bastard holding him the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in. Leon watched for a couple of minutes before turning, smiling at the camera then leaving the room.

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The team in ops was hoping that was the end of the 'show' but unfortunately, it wasn't. In short-order, Leon was back with a bucket filled with some kind of liquid. "Here, this will cool that smart mouth of yours." he growled as he upended the bucket of ice-cold water over Deeks' head. He swallowed what he could, then spat out the remaining water cascading down his face and into his mouth as he jerked in his chair and began shivering immediately. Turning to the camera, Leon smiled once more. "We'll see you again. I hope you enjoyed the show."

Hetty had a thunderous look on her face while it was Sam's turn to have his fists clinched so tightly his knuckles were white. Callen's face gave nothing away, but the anger he was feeling literally radiated off his body. Nell once again looked shattered and Eric; well Eric wasn't even looking at the screen. He'd turned away as soon as Leon began hitting Deeks. Instead, he concentrated on doing everything he could to track the website and hopefully find where it was being broadcast from. He wanted the person who was doing this to their detective and friend to be found and, if he was honest with himself; he wanted him dead. Ruining him financially was no longer good enough for Eric.

Granger was standing behind Hetty watching the video trying to see anything that might give them a clue. He would never admit it to anyone other than Hetty, but the shaggy-haired detective _had_ grown on him. He had come to realize how very good he was at undercover work. He knew Deeks was smart, passing the bar exam on the first try demonstrated that; but it was the way he could connect with people, especially children that had first caught Granger's attention. The more he looked into Deeks' life and career, the more impressed he became. Besides, no one messed with one of their team members without messing with all of them. They would find this guy and they would make him pay. It was a promise Granger made to himself.

As soon as the view of Deeks turned to black and the video ended, Callen turned to the team and spat "Who the hell is this guy? Did anyone see anything that we can use to identify him? Anything?"

Nell felt like cheering "He got careless!" She looked around at everyone in the room. They were all looking at her like she had just lost her mind. "Didn't you notice? There are enough good views of his face for me to run new facial recognition. I'm sure to get a hit with the improved images. Besides that, the room only has the one window. You can tell by the way the shadows move around it. It looks like it's about 20 by 30 feet. I think there is only the one door as well."

"You're right Nell. Good job! The walls look old and they're made of brick. Maybe we can narrow down the buildings in Los Angeles to those made of brick. The hooks in the walls look like it might have been some kind of holding room, maybe for some type of animal. That could help us narrow the search too." Sam interjected.

"He blames Marty for something he did, so we can assume Marty ran across him as either a lawyer or a cop unless it's related to one of the NCIS cases he's worked with us." Granger surprised everyone when he spoke up calling Deeks Marty.

Hetty provided her views on what they had just seen. "He's about 5 foot 10 inches tall and 160 pounds. He might have been in prison. Let's check known felons on the suspect list. Based on the look of his hands, he hasn't seen a lot of sun in the last few years. By the way he walks, I would estimate his age at about 38 to 45 years old. He had quite a bit of gray in his hair which might make him older than 45."

Callen didn't say anything about the room, but he did state what they were all thinking. "How much more of this can Deeks take? He looks like hell and it's only been five days. I don't think Leon is feeding him at all; I mean it looks like he's lost 10 to 15 pounds already and it's only been five days. We have to find him and soon. Let's move people."

"Leon doesn't look in good-enough shape to have abducted Mr. Deeks on his own." Hetty interjected before anyone left ops.

"That's probably why there were two men who abducted him. It makes sense." Nell chimed in. "The cameras around Deeks' apartment showed two men carrying him out. Both men were a lot bigger than Leon. I'm still running facial recognition on them as well. If we're lucky, I'll have something soon."

As everyone left ops except for Nell and Eric, they got busy hunting for additional security cameras in the area and looking at the feeds they already knew about trying to find something, anything, that would give them a clue to Deeks' whereabouts.

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Days 6 and 7 - Rinse and Repeat:

Day 6 brought more drugs and beatings with it. Leon usually gave him a half a sandwich to eat once a day and a couple of glasses of water but every time he ate or drank anything, the pain and hallucinations returned with a vengeance. By day 6, he'd begun refusing to eat or drink anything offered him but all it did was make Leon mad. When he couldn't force the food and water down Marty's throat by himself, he called Harry and Jimmy to help him. Deeks fought them with everything he had in him, but to no avail. Harry held his head while Jimmy pried his mouth open and Leon stuffed pieces of food into his mouth and then had Jimmy close it. When he still wouldn't swallow, Leon pinched his nose closed until he had to swallow so he could breathe.

On day 7, he tried again to refuse but all it got him was a beating. Leon then called Harry and Jimmy to help him force the food and water down Marty's throat once again. On top of that, Leon was constantly injecting him with drugs or beating him with one of the implements from the table. On a couple of occasions, he used the whip on him, but his preferred tools were the cane and the cattle prod.

He came to dread the sound of the door opening and footsteps approaching because though he was out of it most of the time by now, those sounds brought with them renewed pain and remembered terror. He much preferred it when he was alone in the room. He felt hot most of the time…except when he was having chills instead; positive he was running a fever. He knew the burns he'd received from the cattle prod and the open wounds from the beatings were becoming infected. He didn't know how much more he could take. He was running out of hope that his team would find him in time.

His mind wandered to the one of the last times he and Kensi had been to the beach. She was wearing a scarlet red one-piece bathing suit with the most intriguing cut outs that gave him glimpses of her gorgeous body. When he had first seen it, his eyes almost bulged out of his head. All he could do was stand there staring at her.

She'd smirked and said "Like what you see, Marty?"

He hadn't been able to take his eyes off the vision in front of him. He'd stammered like a young boy as he tried to tell her how beautiful she was. He remembered her blushing furiously as he continued to stare at her. _"She was absolutely breath-taking that day. She's the most incredible woman I've ever known. Man I sure out kicked my coverage to get her into my life. I want more time with her. I've got to hold on so I can have more time with her; spend the rest of my life making her happy. Why'd we waste so much time being afraid of our feelings for one another. We could've been together for years now instead of the months we've had. I never thought I'd want to take a chance on marriage. I didn't think it was in the cards for me. I mean, I didn't have the best role model for what a marriage could be growing up, but I want it. I want to marry her and have mutant ninja assassins with her; I want to watch them grow up and have children of their own and I want to grow old with her. What if I don't get the chance to tell her again how much I love her? I have to hang on until they find me or I can get away. I can't leave Kensi alone. I can't do it; I won't. Not if I can help it."_

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Day 7 brought another video with it. Eric was getting mightily sick of receiving them but called to the team from the top of the stairs "We've received another email with a link to the website where Deeks is being held." before he trudged back toward ops.

The team hurried up the stairs dreading what they would see this time. Granger was already standing in front of the plasma as they trooped into the room. Once all of them were ready, Eric linked to the website which brought them all a view of the black screen with the words "Are You Having Fun Yet?" on it then the same room with one difference. Deeks wasn't tied to the chair but rather chained against the wall with his back to it.

" _Why are you doing this? What do you hope to accomplish?"_ Granger wondered just before Leon began speaking. " _What are you getting out of having us watch? All you're doing is making a lot of very dangerous people very angry."_

Leon addressed the camera. "Welcome back to the Marty and Leon show. We're about to have some more fun and I didn't want you to miss a moment of it…you see, I want you to suffer right along with Marty. It will make him suffer even more knowing that you can see him. It's the least I can do. He's been a bad boy, a very bad boy. As his friends, you should have stopped him from bothering me, but you didn't. It's all his fault he's here you know." Leon enjoyed talking to the camera. It made him feel powerful…on top of the world. He was positive his words would not only infuriate the people watching, but hurt them deeply as well. It was all part of his plan of revenge. He was right; everyone in ops hated seeing what Deeks was going through and wanted nothing more than to find Leon and take him down for kidnapping and torturing him.

Leon turned to Deeks chained to the wall and began using him as a punching bag. He hit him repeatedly in the stomach, ribs and face, hoping to elicit some screams of pain to further hurt his team mates, but Deeks once again remained stubbornly silent; only groans passing his lips. By the time Leon paused to take a breath, Marty's eyes were swollen some more with the right one now completely shut; blood was running from his lips where they had been split open again and the team could see new bruises forming all over his rib cage. They could only hope and pray that none of his ribs had been broken during the beating.

When Leon momentarily quit hitting him, he was panting with the effort of not screaming. It took him a couple of minutes before he managed to speak. When he did, his voice was weak and sounded hoarse. "What's wrong Leon? You're not getting tired already are you? That's too bad; you must not be in very good shape if you're already tired. Now, my team; they're in excellent shape, especially my partner. When they find you, and they will, I can guarantee it; you're going to be sorry you ever started this. There's the tiny ninja assassin, my boss, no one messes with her; the man of mystery; he can disappear so well, no one can find him. You'll never see him coming. He has a wonderful skill set in finding and hurting people who hurt his family; the ex-Navy Seal who'd love to give you a taste of your own medicine; and finally my partner who is a world-class sniper along with being an expert in various martial arts. Actually, the whole team is. Now my partner, she _specializes_ in taking down men twice her size when they piss her off, and she does it in seconds flat. She'll have you singing soprano before you can say a word."

"And then there are the wonder twins who can track anyone, anything, anywhere, not to mention they can make your life a living hell by simply using their computer skills. And it's not just my team you need to worry about! Oh no…there's the CIA agent, who isn't part of the team, but she's married to the ex-Seal. You should never have gotten on her bad side but by taking me, you have."

Leon looked at him in disbelief "What did you say?"

Deeks coughed a couple of times before continuing in a raspy voice. "I said you're fucked man! You're pathetic; you're a loser. You couldn't even take me down by yourself. You had to have your two goons do it for you. The only way you'll face me is when I'm tied up, drugged to the gills and can't fight back. What a fucking coward you are! A 90 pound girl hits harder than you do, you sorry excuse for a human being. Are you trying to compensate for those minuscule nads you have between your legs? Tell me, have they actually dropped yet or are you still waiting to mature? You couldn't satisfy a woman if you tried, you low life piece of shit."

Kensi mentally cringed when she heard what Marty said to Leon. _"Oh Marty, you've got to learn when to shut up. I know you don't want to give Leon the satisfaction of seeing you scared, but you've already been through so much. Don't antagonize him any more than he already is because he looks like he's about to snap."_ She knew it would end badly.

Leon screamed in rage and began hitting him again, concentrating on his stomach and ribs. He didn't stop until Deeks hung limply from the chains. Leon then got another syringe from the table and savagely injected it into one of his arms, tearing the skin again in his rage. He left the room without another word to the camera, leaving Deeks hanging by the chains.

"Oh, Mr. Deeks you cheeky bugger. When will you learn it's sometimes smarter to keep quiet." Hetty murmured. "How much more punishment are you going to be able to take? We're doing everything we can to find you. Try to keep faith with us for a little longer." Hetty looked around the room at her premier team and noted similar reactions to this video as to the last from everyone but Sam. He was staring straight ahead at the plasma, not moving a muscle. "Mr Hanna…Sam!" Hetty's tone of voice was one of command and seemed to bring Sam out of his 'trance'.

"Oh…sorry Hetty…As he was being a wiseass, I realized once again that he's more, much more than his looks show…he's stronger than any of us give him credit for; and don't forget, he has a stubborn streak a mile wide. He hides it well, but he is and he does. He knows we're looking for him. Did you hear what he said? He was being his smart-ass self even with the pain he must be in. I'm surprised he was coherent with all the drugs he's been given but he was. It proves my point. He's not going to give up. He'll hold on, I know he will."

Kensi looked at Sam with sorrowful eyes. "I know you're right Sam…he'll try to hold on. I know he'll hold on for as long as he can…but what if it's not long enough. What if we don't find him in time? The human body can only take so much before it shuts down." She whispered to herself. "He promised me he'd never leave me, and he'll try to keep his promise so we have to reward his faith in us by finding him."

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	12. Chapter 11 - We'll Find Him

CHAPTER 11 - We'll Find Him

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A new plot minion, Smartypants, makes an appearance in this chapter. Sometimes he's too smart for his own good.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Leon, Jimmy, Harry Denton and Samuel Deeks.

Thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, followed or reviewed. I can't believe I have over 100 already. Keep them coming; they make my week. Virtual amores for all of you including my guest reviewers; Marcy, Cheryl and Astrida. I wish I could answer your reviews as well. To my spanish reviewer: Muchas gracias por su opinión . Me alegro de que estés disfrutando de la historia.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

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Days 8 through 10

The next three days brought two additional videos showing the further deterioration of their favorite detective. Each time, there was a different phrase to begin the video. The first one stated "Why Haven't You Found Me?" while the second one stated "I Can't Take Much More". Each was designed to ratchet up the guilt level in everyone watching the videos. Each one showed Deeks still defying Leon even as the team could tell he was becoming weaker and more disoriented with each passing day. Whenever they saw him on screen, a prayer was sent out asking God or whatever higher authority each person believed in to be with him and keep him alive.

On day 9 Nell finally got a possible identification from her facial recognition program that had been running since the first day Deeks disappeared. She danced around ops in happiness. "I found them Wolfram! I found the bastards that took Deeks!"

"You did? I'm getting the team." Eric made a beeline for the head of the stairs to get the team.

"Woohoo! We found something guys. We have probable IDs on the men who took Deeks!" Eric yelled from the top of the stairs down to the bullpen. He was so excited at being able to give the team some good news for a change. He turned and ran back to ops while Callen and Sam sprinted up the stairs after him.

Land speed records might have been broken by the team in their hurry to get to ops. It was the first good news they'd had in days. Owen and Hetty proceeded up the stairs at a more sedate pace, but it couldn't really be called walking. They were also moving rapidly.

As soon as all of them were there, Nell burst out with the news she could no longer hold in. "I found the two men who took Deeks! I'm positive it's them even though the software considers the matches at less than 85%. I've been looking at these faces for days. It's them guys, it's them." She had a huge smile on her face as she gave them the news.

"We've been going over the list of suspects we have in Deeks abduction, including the ones from when he was shot." Eric chimed in next.

Nell then continued "We know he wasn't the target then, just the bait; but we didn't want to miss anything." She looked to Eric to continue.

Eric began throwing pictures of the suspects up on the plasma. "On the left we have Harold Floyd Denton who goes by Harry. He's a big guy who ran with gangs in his youth then graduated to armed robbery; beginning by breaking into empty homes and stealing things then working his way up to home invasions. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison when he was 25. On the right, we have James Douglas Madison. He goes by Jimmy. He was in prison at the same time Harry was." Eric looked around at the team before continuing. "We also found out who else they're connected with." He threw another picture up. "This is Ivan Lee. He recruited both men; Harry while he was in prison and Jimmy before he went to prison.

Nell took over next, "Ivan Lee matches the face I got off the video a few days ago when he got careless. But he's supposed to be in prison. I'm checking on that as we speak. His was one of three names Deeks mentioned after his shooting. We don't have anything you could use in court yet, but I'm positive this is the guy. Here's the image from traffic cams. He's the same height and build, same hair coloring too. It's him; I know in my gut this is the guy. Deeks told us his personal testimony put Lee away for a life sentence and he would hate him until the day he, Deeks, died."

Callen was so relieved so have some good news for a change, he couldn't resist teasing Nell. He smirked at the analyst "Your gut, huh. Are you sure it isn't something you ate Nell?"

"Ha, ha Callen." Nell sent him a disgusted look. "Yes, my gut. I know this is the guy."

"I've sent their pictures and last known addresses to your phones." Eric interjected before Nell could go ballistic on Callen. "We now know who took Deeks and who the mastermind is. All you have to do is find them."

"Get out there and find them Mr. Callen. I don't care what you have to do. Get them and bring them to the boat shed. I want to talk to Ivan Lee myself." Hetty looked as calm as always, but her words shocked everyone in the room because she didn't often interrogate suspects in the cases that came across her desk. "He has a lot to answer for if he is indeed the person who took Mr. Deeks."

"Excellent work you two" Hetty congratulated the wonder twins. "Look into all three men and where they are now. Keep me informed of your progress."

Callen stopped by Nell on his way out and whispered "I was just teasing Little Spider. I'd take your gut feeling any day of the week." His blue eyes sparkled as he apologized in his own unique way to the petit analyst.

"Thanks Callen. I forgive you…this time." she replied with her own eyes sparkling. "I expect you to make it up to me later though."

~,~,~

The wonder twins had been working for several hours when Eric was startled by the sound of Nell swearing a blue streak. It was so unlike the intelligence analyst he glanced over at her in wonder to see a look of pure outrage on her face. "What is it Nell? What has you swearing like a sailor?"

"Ivan Lee…he…escaped from prison almost a year ago and no one thought to inform LAPD or Deeks! The man threatened his life and the warden didn't think it was important to let LAPD or him know he was out! What a travesty! I'm telling Hetty." Nell was sputtering she was so angry.

"Tell me what, Miss Jones?"

Eric clutched at his chest dramatically and gulped "Hetty…where…how?". How Hetty always managed to sneak up on them was legendary and it caused his heart to skip a beat or two every time she did it.

"Yes Mr. Beale?"

"You…you scared me…I didn't hear you come in. How do you do that?" Hetty gave him one of her patented looks before she turned to Nell. "I'm waiting Miss Jones."

"Ivan Lee escaped from prison a year ago and no one informed LAPD. I don't understand it Hetty. He's a dangerous man. What I've read of his file is terrible. He's a serial murderer and yet no one informed the people he threatened that he'd escaped which is supposed to be standard protocol." Nell's eyes were still filled with anger as she looked at Hetty while delivering the news.

"Oh bugger! Keep digging Miss Jones. See if you can find any trace of him since his escape. Mr. Beale, how are you coming on James Madison and Harry Denton?"

"James Madison was paroled three years ago after serving his full sentence and Harry Denton got out about a year ago. Both of them are supposed to be meeting with a parole officer on a regular basis but I found out they dropped out of sight. I'm hacking into both of their prison records as we speak. So far I've found out they were both in prison together at the same time as Lee. In fact, Harry acted as his bodyguard while he was there. I'm trying to find out if Lee had any connections outside; someone other than Harry or Jimmy who could have helped him escape but no luck so far."

"Keep looking for a connection Mr. Beale. Both of you let me know as soon as you find anything else." Hetty turned to leave ops but then stopped as a thought occurred to her. "Miss Jones. "Dig deep into that warden's background. See if he could have been involved in Lee's escape. That might be why he didn't information LAPD."

"Will do Hetty."

Satisfied that her analyst would leave no stone unturned in her research into the warden, Hetty left ops to return to her office.

~,~,~

Hetty sat at her desk for several moments getting her thoughts in order before putting in a call to Lt. Bates. She was immediately connected to him. Before he could ask if she had anything knew, she spoke "We have a lead on who took Mr. Deeks. We're not 100% sure yet, but we're looking into it further. It's a man named Ivan Lee. Mr. Deeks' testimony put him in prison for life and we just found out he escaped from prison and is still at large."

"What do you mean he escaped! I never heard anything about this. I'm supposed to be notified about everything involving Lee. When and how the hell did he escape?"

"He escaped almost a year ago. and we have no idea how, yet. According to Miss Jones, the warden didn't think it was important enough to notify either you at LAPD or Mr. Deeks himself. I have her checking the warden's background as we speak."

"She's right about the notification. Both Deeks and I should have been informed the minute Lee escaped. I'll look into that part of it from my end too. I'm damn well going to talk to that warden about not keeping us informed regarding Lee." Lt. Bates was beyond pissed at hearing the news. _"If the little ninja is right and the warden thought it wasn't important to notify me in spite of the orders, I'm going to rip him a new one and then make a complaint about him to the prison board."_

Hetty continued "What can you tell me about Ivan Lee?"

"He threatened to kill Deeks when he was found guilty of murdering a child. He blamed Deeks for everything since he was the first officer on the scene. He's a serial killer and was eventually convicted of at least two other murders. He's a psychopath in the truest sense of the word."

"Why does he blame Mr. Deeks for his incarceration?"

"He never accepts blame for anything he does; it's always someone else's fault, hence the threat to Deeks. As far as Ivan Lee is concerned, he didn't do anything wrong; he felt that Deeks framed him for the murder and twisted his words beyond recognition in his testimony. Lee's an extremely callous individual with no sense of shame and no empathy for anyone besides himself. As a child he was suspected of torturing neighborhood animals but it was never proven. He enjoys instilling fear in others. He's extremely intelligent and a narcissist as well who feels he's superior to everyone around him and that everyone else should cater to him. The crime he was convicted of was particularly gruesome and involved a child. You can imagine what that did to Deeks."

"Yes, I imagine it devastated him." Hetty's heart went out to her detective knowing how much harm to children tore at his soul. _"He's probably blamed himself for everything that happened and has internalized the guilt. I wouldn't be surprised to find out he's still having nightmares about it after all these years; especially when he is under a lot of stress. I hope this doesn't impede his recovery once we find him. He's in a fragile enough state at the moment as it is and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse before it gets better."_

"Can you give me some of the details? I'd like to know who we're hunting."

"I'll send over the case file, but here's the short version. You understand, this was before I was Deeks' boss. He was involved in the Lee case when he was first on the police force; before he became an undercover cop. There had been a series of especially gruesome murders of young girls. They were abducted, raped and tortured before being killed. After they were killed, they would be posed in a public place for the maximum exposure. Something of theirs was always missing when they were found and it was assumed that the killer was taking them as souvenirs of the crime; trophies. And I don't mean clothes or jewelry; I'm talking about body parts here. At first, he just raped and murdered the girls, but with each killing he became more sadistic and began torturing them as well."

"A special task force was set up to catch the killer, but none of the leads had panned by the time the last child was taken. Everyone on the task force was following up the leads they had. Deeks drew the lead that finally led to Lee's arrest."

"He was sent to check out one of several addresses we had in the area we thought the killer might be taking the children before killing them. That's where he found Lee holding the last murdered girl in his arms. She had been raped repeatedly and tortured before she was killed. Deeks found him with the girl's heart in his hands. He had just cut it out of her body when Deeks found him. He was going to keep the child's heart as a souvenir so he could recall each detail of the murder at his leisure."

"Oh bugger!"

"Anyway, Deeks called for backup and when the house was searched, evidence was found relating to more than 15 other murders; some that had been unknown until then. He'd stored his trophies, the body parts, in a series of jars filled with formaldehyde which were lined up on shelves on display. Before each jar was the name of the child the 'trophy' came from."

"I heard all of this during the trial and around the station. Deeks never said anything to me when I became his boss, but I heard he was in bad shape emotionally after his testimony. He managed to hold it together until after the trial before he completely fell apart. He was having nightmares and not sleeping but he begged not to be put on disability leave. I don't know how he convinced the department psychologist to let him stay on the job, but he did. He agreed to be restricted to desk duty only for several months; he was able to handle the desk job while he was seeing the psychologist; first because he was ordered to and then voluntarily to try and make sense of everything he had experienced. He saw the man for about 6 months. I read his file when I became his boss because I couldn't reconcile the smart-ass I saw in front of me with what I had heard about him."

Lt. Bates thought back to that time. _"It must have torn Deeks up seeing the crime scene. I didn't understand why he was so affected by the murders at the time. It wasn't until I read his file, dug a little deeper and found out about his childhood then got to know him better that I realized why crimes against children affect him so deeply. Knowing that, I know that he'll fight with everything he has to resist Lee. He hates the man for what he did. He may be a jokester, a wise ass and a pain in my ass but he's a great detective; one of my best. In fact, he's one of the best undercover operatives I've ever seen, in or out of the military. I'll never tell him that though. He'd never let me live it down."_ He chuckled silently for a moment. _"_ He's _also one of the strongest men I've ever met; people are always underestimating him because he seems so laid back. But I know he'll get through this just like he did after Guererra and Sidorov. He would never have lasted as long as he has in undercover work if he wasn't strong."_

"Do you think Ivan Lee could be behind Mr. Deeks' abduction and torture?" Hetty was almost positive they had identified the men involved in her detective's disappearance, but she wanted Lt. Bates' take on it.

"Now that I know he's not in prison, hell yeah. I'd place bets on it. He's blamed Deeks all these years and he's had the time to plan everything out since he escaped."


	13. Chapter 12-Day 11: Rock Bottom, Despair

Here's the next chapter. Are things beginning to look up or is Deeks giving up?

Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

A shout-out to the wonderful nherbie for reviewing this story. She makes every chapter better! Ant thanks to everyone who's reviewed the previous chapter. I've replied to everyone that I could. You all make me want to keep writing.

To my Spanish reviewer: Gracias por tu opinión . Realmente hace mi semana . Me alegro de que estés disfrutando de la historia.

To my French reviewer: Votre Engish était bien. Je compris ce que vous essayez de dire. Merci pour l'examen . Je suis heureux que vous appréciez l'histoire .

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 12 - Day 11: Rock Bottom; Desperation

On day 11 of his capture, Marty finally hit rock bottom. He was starving, extremely weak and in so much pain he didn't think he could take it any longer. He couldn't remember the last time he had something substantial to eat and his thirst was overwhelming.

His mind continually played tricks on him. There were times when he would swear he had seen and heard his father which terrified him. He was sure Kensi had visited several times, it seemed so real; but whenever he tried to reach her, she would disappear in a puff of smoke and he would realize she wasn't really there. Currently, he was lying on the floor in the corner of the room trying to recover from the latest beating. He was chained to the wall but only by his left arm for a change. He lay there and thought about his life, the things he had accomplished and those things he wished he had found the courage to do something about.

He regretted all the time lost when he and Kensi were still having trouble communicating with each other. _"Why did it take us so long to get our shit together? Boy aren't we a pair of broken, fucked up people? But we work; somehow we work as partners and as a couple; we fit together. I wish I hadn't let the memories of my father's fists cause me to distrust the world around me, making me think I wasn't good enough for someone like Kens. What a fucking waste of time. We could have had years together instead of months. Maybe even a little mutant ninja assassin or two by now. I'd have loved a little girl with Kensi's eyes and a little boy with my hair who loved the ocean as much as I do."_ If he tried he could see their children in his mind's eye. He rejoiced at how beautiful their little girl was and that she was a combination of the best of both of them. _"I wish I'd asked Kens to marry me a long time ago. Why did I wait? Now, she may never believe how much I wanted to marry her…not if I die here. I know I gave Hetty the letter, but Kens may still think I abandoned her like all the other men in her life."_ The thought of Kensi feeling abandoned by him brought tears to his eyes and sent them streaming down his cheeks. He shed more tears thinking about her and what she was going through than he had during the worst of the torture and drugs he'd been subjected to. He wanted to scream out his rage and pain but wouldn't give his captor the satisfaction of thinking he'd finally broken. _"No I won't scream or cry in front of that prick if I can help it. He hasn't broken me yet and he's not going to. I'm not going to give in. Never! I'll never give in to him; I won't give him the satisfaction, the asshole! I'll die first."_

The day brought more of the same treatment he'd been receiving since he was abducted: either being beaten on the soles of his feet, hung from the hook and used as a punching bag, or shocked with the cattle prod as well as being drugged by force. By the eighth day of his captivity he'd somehow realized that if he was going to survive, he needed food and water so whenever Leon gave him something to eat or drink, he took it. He knew it would be drugged, but he was so hungry and thirsty that if he was ever going to get away from this guy, he had to take it. Besides he'd learned the hard way that if he refused, Leon just forced it down his throat.

" _Why hasn't anyone found me? Are they even looking for me? I need them to find me soon, before it's too late."_ Marty was despondent but gave himself a stern talking to. _"Come on Marty, buck up man, you know your team is looking of you. They won't give up; they'll never give up; we're family. You know that. You're part of the team and they'll never stop looking for you. You just have to hang on a little while longer, come on man, just a little longer."_ Even after giving himself a pep talk, he was still despondent. " _But please someone, anyone, get me out of here. I need to get out of this place before it's too late. I don't know how much more of this I can take. My body is breaking down and the drugs are really messing with my head, I can feel it."_

Marty lay there thinking about his team and continued wondering if they even missed him or if they were glad he was gone. If he had been thinking straight he would have realized they were doing everything in their power to find him, but he had been drugged so many times and still had so many different drugs in his system it was a wonder he was even conscious. His mind continued playing tricks on him and in his weakened state, his father's whispered words when he was such a small child were playing over and over like a broken record, causing all of his old fears and insecurities to rear their ugly heads. He was still being injected with one or more drugs numerous times throughout each and every day. The drugs caused him to experience delusions and visual hallucinations. He constantly lost track of time and wasn't sure how long he had been held prisoner. All he knew was that it felt like forever. He needed someone to talk to; someone who would help him and his mind finally conjured up the first adult who had ever protected him.

" _Sam, you always said you would be here for me and you always have been. I need you now. Please come and get me out of this place. I can't stay here any more, I just can't. I'm going to go crazy if I have to stay here much longer. I'm scared Sam, really scared. Help me please. You've never let me down before. Don't leave me here. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Help me Sam, help me."_

Marty thought it was completely rational when he heard Sam's voice answering his pleas for help. _"Son, I'm always with you and I always will be. Remember what I always told you. Family takes care of family. You know that in your heart. Be brave son. Your team is your family now and they're looking for you. They've been searching since the morning you went missing. They'll never give up. But you need to keep fighting to get back to them. Listen to me carefully now. You'll have a chance to escape soon. When it comes, take it and run. Run until you find someone to help you. I'll be with you the entire way. You're going to get through this son, I promise. Remember, I've never let you down before and I never will. I've never lied to you and I never will. You're strong son and I promise you, you'll make it."_

Marty heaved a huge sigh, finally able to relax a little bit as he heard Sam's words in his mind. Sam had _never_ lied to him, never. Hearing him say he would make it and the team was searching for him helped him hold on to his sanity. _"Thanks Sam. I don't know what I would do without you. You're always here for me. I'll try not to let you down. I'll keep fighting as hard as I can to get away and get back to Kensi and the team."_ For once, the hallucinations from the drugs were helping him in his efforts to stay strong. They allowed him to talk to Sam, gather his courage and resolve to face whatever was going to come next. If only he wasn't so tired! He continued talking to Sam, _"It's just so hard Sam and I'm so tired. I need sleep to keep up my strength if I'm going to get out of here like you said. But I'm afraid to sleep. What if he comes in while I'm sleeping?"_ He tried to find a more comfortable position to lie in and concentrated on going to sleep to conserve his strength even though he feared what might happen. Sam had said he would have a chance to escape so he had to be ready. As sleep began to claim him, he heard Sam again _"Sleep now Marty, nothing but good dreams. You have nothing to fear. I'll be watching over you son."_

~,~,~

That evening, Leon arrived with a bottle of water and a little food. Marty accepted it when offered and downed both the water and all the food. As he expected, very soon after he finished, he began to experience side effects, except this time, it was the excruciating pain first. The hallucinations came next. Leon watched until Marty was writhing on the floor. "Marty…Marty. You sure can't hold your drugs. You're not much of the partying kind are you?" All Marty could do was glare at him. Leon then smiled and left the room.

As the pain eased slightly, Marty finally fell asleep again for some additional rest. Sam's voice in his head kept encouraging him to gather his strength. He was so tired the hard floor and the uncomfortable position he was in didn't make much difference.

Leon entered the room very late that night and was surprised to see Marty sleeping instead of freaking out. _"What is it going to take to break this asshole? The beatings aren't doing it and it appears that the drugs haven't either. He must be building up a tolerance to the dosages I'm giving him. It's time to try something new. Let's see…okay, plan B it is. I'll combine the LSD with the PCP and the ketamine. Then I'll give him some more of my special drug cocktail. Maybe together they'll do the trick. It not, at least he'll be climbing the walls from the side effects."_

Stalking over to the table muttering to himself, he looked over the array of drugs he had available to him. He had already given Deeks several doses of LSD and PCP throughout the day as well as his own mixture of drugs that caused Deeks severe pain without knocking him out but he had never given them to him all at once. _"I want him to suffer not be unconscious, but since it looks like he's developing a tolerance, I'm going to take a chance. I wonder, if I double the dose of everything this time and give him all of them at once, maybe he'll finally break."_ He tried to find a working vein in Marty's left arm, but after numerous tries gave it up and decided to switch to his right arm. Without waking him, he removed the chain attaching him to the wall so he could access the veins in his right arm. Smiling to himself in anticipation, he injected two syringes full of his 'special' drug cocktail into his arm along with oral doses of LSD, ketamine and PCP which he dribbled into his mouth and then held it closed.

Marty jerked awake trying not to swallow the liquid in his mouth, but Leon pinched his nose once again until he couldn't help himself and swallowed the liquid, coughing as it went down his throat. As soon as Leon let go of him, he flinched away. "Leave me the hell alone" he ground out. All that brought him was two more punches to his face. Leon watched and waited until the effects of the drugs began to work on him. The pain came first causing the muscles throughout his body to begin to spasm. Next came the hallucinations.

Marty's head was pounding again and every muscle in his body was clenched tight in pain. Even his hair was hurting! He pulled himself up into the corner of the room with his knees against his chest to try to ride out the waves of pain that were racking his body relentlessly. A groan or two escaped his lips in spite of his efforts to remain silent.

After what felt like hours, he finally couldn't stand it any longer and screamed "What the fuck did you inject me with now, you asshole? Seriously, can't you get your rocks off unless you're torturing me? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? What a pathetic excuse you are for a man. You're nothing but a low-life piece of trash!"

He didn't care if he got beaten again for swearing at Leon; he just didn't care anymore. He was determined to say what he wanted to say when he wanted to say it. He'd had enough of all of it; the drugs, the beatings, the emotional turmoil he was in, knowing his team was being subjected to watching him go through some of the worst things that could be done by one so-called human being to another. If he ended up dying in this hell hole, he was going to die like a man. He wasn't about to beg for mercy from the asshole holding him captive.

Leon completely lost his temper hearing the words Marty screamed at him. He grabbed the cane and began beating Marty with it, not caring where the blows were landing. "I told you not to swear at me or you would be punished!" He screamed. "You never learn do you? I'm going to enjoy the next few minutes but I know you won't."

He landed several blows to Marty's face opening two long, deep gashes to his cheekbone which immediately began to bleed. Several more landed at the back of his head causing his concussion to worsen and opening up two additional cuts. Marty tried to protect his head and face from the blows but his efforts resulted in his arms and back taking the brunt of the beating first turning red again with new welts and then bloody from the repeated blows. His back became a solid mass of blood. The more Leon hit Marty, the less control he had over his actions and the harder and faster he wielded the cane. Marty prayed for relief from the pain. When he finally felt himself fading out he welcomed the darkness. His last thoughts were of Kensi. _"If I don't wake up again, so be it. Kens, I'm so sorry I got myself into this mess, I didn't mean to, really. This guy is insane and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to hang on until you guys find me. I know you're looking for me but it feels like it's been forever. I'm sorry…so sorry. I don't want to leave you, please believe me. I'm just so tired and in so much pain…I just…I have nothing left to fight with…I can't fight anymore right now."_

Marty slowly slumped unconscious onto his side finally bringing Leon to his senses. He looked at the unconscious man in front of him hoping he hadn't gone too far. _"Damn it, I lost control. He pissed me off though so it's his fault. Did I do too much? I don't want to kill him yet. I'm not done getting my revenge. He's got a lot more suffering to do before I'm through with him. Damn, now I'll have to give him some time to recover before we can continue."_ He checked Marty's neck to see if he still had a pulse and heaved a sigh of relief when he felt one. He decided not to chain him to the wall again, being under the mistaken assumption the man in front of him was too weak and out of it to try to escape. He gave him another dose of the drug cocktail and some more LSD to keep him in pain and delusional. _"That should keep him occupied when he comes to. Of course, I'll be back before then and he'll be sorry for what he said because I'm not through punishing him yet."_

Turning out the only light in the room, he left forgetting to lock the door behind himself. He was sure Marty would be out for at least eight hours from all the drugs in his system. With the beating he had just endured and all the drugs Leon had dosed him with, he was positive he wouldn't be awake for quite a while. It would turn out to be the biggest mistake he would ever make.

~,~,~


	14. Chapter 13 - Escape!

Here's a treat for you; a second chapter in the same week. I've had four days off from work and was able to get this chapter ready sooner than I expected. After this, it will be back to one chapter posted per week, usually on Friday or Saturday.

I've got to say that I'm totally surprised at how many people did not realize that I made it clear in the prologue that Deeks escapes on Day 12. It is now day 12 and guess what? He escapes. On with the story!

My heroine is nherbie for reviewing this story. She really does makes every chapter better!

To my Spanish reviewer: Gracias por la revisión clase que usted . Se compensa el revisor anónimo que me llamó la atención por tomar demasiado tiempo para ser rescatados Deeks .

To my French reviewer: ait une grosse erreur et Deeks profite de celui-ci . Je suis heureux que vous appréciez l'histoire et j'aime entendre votre examen de chaque chapitre.

To the anonymous reviewer who left the rant/review: Thank you so much for the kind words mixed in with the rant. I'm sorry you think I'm spending too much time with Deeks being a captive. My stories are complete before I EVER begin posting them. I won't make major changes to the story just because a reader doesn't like the pace I'm setting. If you go back and re-read the prologue you will realize that I made it clear at the very beginning that Deeks escapes on day 12. That's this chapter. I hope you keep reading, but if you feel that I've let you down, please, quit reading this story and write one of your own. I would love to read one of your stories.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 13 - Escape!

Day 12

Light was just beginning to flow like molten gold over the city of angels when Marty began stirring. It was a cool morning but held the promise of a warm afternoon. The temperature in his prison room was once again cold. His lips were tinged with blue and he was shivering with cold. The cold is what woke him up. He was pleasantly surprised when he realized he was still alive even through the pain he was feeling. He hadn't been sure he would ever wake up again. However, when he tried to remember why he was surprised to wake up, nothing came to mind.

His face and arms were screaming with pain from all the welts he had received from the cane a few hours before. He felt his arms and then his face, his hand coming away with blood on it. He shook his head but immediately stopped when he was 'rewarded' with renewed pain and pounding radiating from his skull. He felt his arms again before understanding blossomed within his mind; _"Oh wow, I have blood everywhere; its all over my arms and face. It must be from…when?…last night…or maybe before? Well not long ago anyway. No wonder everything hurts. Wait, how did I get hurt? Who did this to me?"_ Looking around the room, he didn't recognize anything. _"Where am I? I...I don't recognize this room."_

He didn't realize how disoriented he was. He was no longer capable of understanding how many drugs had been forced into his system either through injections or by mouth or what the cumulative effects were that were causing his confusion. At that point in time all he knew for sure was that he had to run, to get away. He remembered Sam telling him to run, but he no longer remembered that he was part of a team and that his team was searching for him. He vaguely remembered a dark haired woman calling him Deeks, but couldn't remember that the woman he was thinking of was Kensi. He looked around the room trying to get his bearings and figure out what to do next. He saw the chains hanging from the wall and could vaguely remember being attached to them. It took him several minutes to realize he was no longer chained to the wall, but when he did, his sluggish mind began trying to figure out a way to get out of the room he was in; to get out and run away from the terror he was currently feeling. The room felt alive to him with ominous shadows chasing each other around it. It pulsed with malevolence like it was a living breathing entity. The walls felt like they were closing in on him and his terror increased.

He frantically looked around, finally spying the window, trying to decide if he could fit through its opening. It took him a while to decide he wouldn't fit through it. He 'saw' the window shrinking until it was tiny and then getting bigger then repeating shrinking and growing over again. It scared him and discouraged him from trying that way to get out of the building. What if it shrank when he was half-way through it and he got stuck? It might keep shrinking and kill him for all he knew at the moment. It took him several tries to get to his feet because every nerve ending in his body felt like it was on fire but he made it upright. He staggered over to the door of the room and grabbed the handle. When he tried to turn the handle, he was shocked to find out it was unlocked.

~,~,~

The unlocked door unnerved him and he looked all around thinking someone somewhere was watching him. _"Wha…what's going on here? Is this some kind of a sick joke? Is he…wait…wh…who has me?…I…I can't remember…I…oh never mind…what if he's taunting me? Oh God, what if he's waiting outside the door for me to think I have a chance to escape so he can dash my hopes, then drug and beat me again? Why is he doing this to me? Why hasn't?…does anyone know I…I'm missing…has anyone been looking for me? I…I can't stay here…I have t…to g…g…get away…he's a monster…just like my old man…no…no…don't think about him…"_ Marty moaned and grabbed his hair tugging at it while he tried not to think about 'the man' before additional thoughts intruded. _"…is he hiding?…he'll come back…no no…not thinking about him…Not. Thinking. About. Him! I jus…just…I ca…can't…I'll g…g…go cr... crazy if I stay here any longer. What do I…I do?"_

He stood in front of the door for several long minutes frozen in terror unable to decide what to do. The sound of a car backfiring somewhere outside finally gave him the impetus to open the door. He reached forward with shaking hands and slowly turned the knob, opening the door just slightly and peeking around the edge of it to see if there was anyone hiding on the other side. He heaved a huge sigh of relief when he didn't see anyone around, praying that he was right and he was alone. He slipped out of the room that had been his prison for twelve long days and nights; slowly making his way down the hallway, supporting his trembling body against the wall so he wouldn't fall.

His head was on a swivel as he tried to see all around himself in case someone was lurking in the building he was in. It appeared abandoned but he couldn't help thinking _"what if it isn't abandoned?_ _No…no…d…do…don't go there. No one's here…I…I'm alone…I…think."_ He finally made it across the main floor to the door he could see on the other side. Once again, he took a few minutes to pluck up his courage to not only open the door but go through it to the other side. When he did, he found himself in an alleyway. The alley was filled with garbage and debris but he didn't notice that. All he noticed was that he was outside of the place of horrors behind him. He lifted his head up for a moment basking in the sunlight and the fresh air as he finally understood he was really out of that place and free.

~,~,~

He looked all around the alleyway but didn't recognize where he was. He wasn't sure of anything except he had to get away so he picked a direction at random and began running. Well, he was staggering more than running but he was getting away from where he'd been held. He could hear Sam's words in his mind and concentrated on what he had told him; to run away, to run until he found someone to help him, to keep going until he was safe. Sam had never lied to him so he listened to what he said and kept running as best he could. Before long, he was out of the alley with another decision to make. He looked left and right, but both directions were full of people walking along and cars passing by on the street. He made an unconscious decision and turned to the right staggering down the street.

Weird sights and sounds continuously assaulted his mind from the multitude of drugs he'd been given and he could no longer effectively differentiate reality from unreality. He flinched badly whenever he saw something strange; afraid that whatever it was, it was coming for him. He began moving in another direction whenever it happened to get away from what he was seeing. The sights he saw ranged from people with two heads or three arms; fanged animals walking upright like people, forms of monstrous plants that looked like they were trying to ensnare him in their tendrils, to wild animals on all fours with fearsome teeth looking at him as if he was about to become dinner, to the face of a man he didn't recognize, as he held him by the hair to feel each bite of the drill bit destroying his teeth and onto the face of his father out of one of his worst nightmares as a child.

He saw his father holding the shotgun from that fateful day he had finally stood up to him. He was watching him from within the crowds of people passing him by as he continued working his way down the street. He could hear his old man's whispered words taunting him. _"You're nothing but trouble. You're a pansy, a coward, a momma's boy…you're just like your mother, useless…never amount to anything…good for nothing…a waste of time…you ruined my life you little bastard…worthless…should never have been born…you're a weakling, a failure. You need toughening up boy and I'm just the one to do it"_ over and over again. At other times, his father would sneer at him and threaten him. " _I'm going to kill you boy, I should have done it long ago."_ as he pointed the shotgun at him. He would then hear the blast from the shotgun and the sound of the gun in his hand going off and see the blood blossom on his father's time he 'heard' his father's words, he would cover his ears and moan as he continued staggering along the sidewalk.

The people he encountered in his flight either ignored him or gave him a dirty look and a disparaging remark. Some seemed to be afraid of him while most couldn't even be bothered to try and help another human being.

~,~,~

As Marty continued making his way slowly down Robertson away from the house of horrors he had been in, Ivan arrived back at the warehouse. He was in a good mood because he was sure he would find Marty hallucinating and in severe pain. He opened the door to the room in which he had left the unconscious detective. It had been hours since Ivan had injected him with the last massive dose of drugs and he was looking forward to showing the detective's teammates another torture session. This time he was sure the bastard would break. He opened the door and stopped dead in shock when it was revealed to be an empty room with no Marty Deeks anywhere in sight. _"What the fuck! Where the hell is he? He was too weak to stand up let alone move, so why isn't the asshole here? Jesus Christ on a crutch! What in the hell is going on? Could someone have found and rescued him? No come on, think, Ivan, think. If he'd been found there would've been cops all over this place. He can't have gotten far in his condition. I just have to find him. But if I don't find him soon, I'm not going to hang around waiting for the cops to show up."_

Ivan looked all around the room once more in disbelief before beginning his search for Deeks in other areas of the abandoned building. He peered into every room and cubbyhole he could find without success. He finally had to admit to himself that he was gone. _"Damn it! How did he get out of the chain anyway? I'm sure I chained him back up after injecting him last night. This is not good, not good at all. If he gets picked up, he may be able to lead them here. He's so messed up with drugs though, he probably won't remember where he was being held. I can only hope."_

He called Jimmy and Harry telling them to fan out from the building to find Deeks and bring him back. "Harry, you go down Pico one way and Jimmy you go the other way. I'll go down Robertson. He can't have gotten far. Let's find him before he's found by someone else."

He left the warehouse and turned down Robertson. He was positive he would find Deeks soon due to the condition he was in. No way could he have walked very far in the shape he was in. He began to plan the things he was going to do to him when he found him. " _He's going to be sorry he tried to get away. I've only just begin hurting him. I just have to get him back before he's found by a friend or associate."_

Approximately 30 minutes after he began searching down Robertson, he saw a knot of people standing staring at something about 200 yards away from where he was. "I hope that's not Deeks." He slipped closer to see what was going on and was pissed to see Deeks not only in the middle of the knot of people but also surrounded by a cop and his team mates. _"Shit! Just what I don't need. He's been found by a cop and his team. Now what am I going to do? I can't quit now. I'm so close to making him pay for everything he did to me. I can't get to him right now, but there's still time if I plan things right. Right now, I've got to get out of here. I'll call Jimmy and Harry, tell them to find out where he's being taken, then call me."_

He casually turned away from the commotion in front of him and walked back to the warehouse for his car. Once there, he called both men. "Deeks has been picked up by a cop and his team. Find out where he's taken and call me on my cell to let me know. I've got some things I have to do while you do that. Then I'll make a plan on how to get close to Deeks again. He's not getting away from me now!"

~,~,~

Marty didn't know how long he had been fleeing. He couldn't even really remember why he was fleeing, he only knew he had to keep running. Looking around, he didn't recognize any of the landmarks he saw nor where he was. Even with every fiber of his being telling him to run, it was getting harder to do so with every passing minute. Suddenly there was a hand clutching his arm and scaring him even more than he already was. He jerked away from the person screaming in terror.

It was a man and Marty could tell he was saying something to him, but all he heard was unintelligible noise. He could see the man's mouth moving, but couldn't understand the words. He looked around trying to find a way to get away but he was boxed in. He backed up until he found himself wedged into the corner between two buildings. Before long a dark-haired woman was in front of him trying to touch him but he screamed for her to leave him alone. He saw tears in her eyes but didn't understand why she was sad. She was saying something about being his friend, but he wasn't processing what she was saying. There were two men with her he didn't recognize and he was afraid of them. One was a big black man and one was a smaller white man. Both wore intense looks on their faces. All he knew was how scared he was and that Sam had told him to run. He tried to fight his way past the people surrounding him but he was unsuccessful. The last thing he remembered was the huge black man grabbing him and putting his arm around his throat before he slid into darkness.

~,~,~

Sam and Callen watched the ambulance pull away then climbed into Sam's car to follow. Both men were lost in their thoughts for some time before Sam stated "He'll make it…he's tough and stubborn; he'll make it."

"I hope so Sam" Callen replied.

While Sam concentrated on his driving and keeping the ambulance in sight, Callen called OSP. He wasn't looking forward to telling Hetty how bad Deeks was but he knew she would want to know immediately.

She was sitting at her desk staring into a cup of tea thinking about Sam and Marty. She thought back to when he had first gone to live with Sam. Sam had been as proud as a peacock talking about 'his boy' whenever he and Hetty met for lunch or a visit when she was in town. Listening to Sam was what had first made her curious about the young Marty Brandel and she had begun watching him. The day Sam adopted him, he had changed his last name to Deeks. Sam was over the moon when he and Hetty met. He told her how proud he was of Marty and how much it meant to him that Marty wanted his last name as his own. Hetty remembered he had tears in his eyes when he told her.

When Sam had died, she met Marty at the funeral but she was sure he didn't remember their meeting. She had been awestruck listening to him play the violin for his adoptive father as the eulogy. In fact there wasn't a sound made in the church throughout his performance. He hadn't spoken about Sam out loud but he had shown everyone there how much he had loved him through the music he played. He poured his heart and soul into it, sharing his pain and sorrow with the entire crowd. That was the first time she truly realized how special he was and she vowed once again to watch over him for Sam.

Once Sam was gone, she watched over Marty as he finished college then law school. She hadn't been surprised when he passed the bar on the first try. She hadn't been surprised either when he changed careers to become a cop. She had followed his career closely and knew what the catalyst had been for the change. It was his nature to protect the poor and the victims, especially children, and she knew he had come to the decision he could do a better job of protecting them as a cop than as a lawyer. She continued thinking about him, and how she had connected with him immediately once she began interacting with him. He was one of the few people who worked for her who would tease her, throwing out smart remarks and quips. She was waiting for news on her favorite detective/liaison when her phone rang. She answered immediately as caller ID indicated it was Callen. "How is he, Mr. Callen?" she asked, her heart in her throat though no one could tell.

"He's in bad shape Hetty, critical shape. He's even worse than I would have expected from the last video we saw of him. I can't fathom how he did it, but he got away from Lee. A cop who knew him found him on Robertson near Pico and called it in. He's on his way to Cedars Sinai Medical Center right now. Kensi is with him while Sam and I are following the ambulance. Based on what the paramedics said, I don't understand how he was standing up, let alone walking and fighting us as as hard as he was."

"What do you mean fighting you?" Hetty questioned, puzzled. Why would Mr. Deeks fight his team mates? She was afraid she already knew the answer to her question, but she hoped she was wrong.

"He doesn't seem to know who he is and he didn't recognize any of us Hetty. He had backed himself into a corner and looked terrified. It looked like he was trying to make himself disappear. He didn't even recognize Kensi. She tried to touch him and he recoiled from her and screamed in terror. That scream was heartrending and is going to haunt me for a long time. The cop who found him said Deeks was a good friend and had been to his home but he didn't recognize him either. He thought we were going to hurt him and kept yelling that he had to run. He was so terrified he was fighting us with everything he had. He was combative and extremely strong. I think one of the drugs Lee's been giving him is PCP, it has to be. He was exhibiting all the symptoms of PCP use. He was hallucinating as well. He kept looking around for someone named Sam, but it wasn't our Sam he was looking for."

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone beaten as badly as he's been still alive, let alone on their feet. His feet, my God, Hetty that's a whole other story. His feet are a mess and the rest of his body is just as bad. It looks like he's lost 30 pounds, and you know he can't afford to lose that much weight. He's normally lean enough already. Now he looks like a starvation victim. Every one of his ribs are protruding and his arms and legs are stick thin. The t-shirt he was wearing was hanging off of him and I've seen him in that shirt before. Where that t-shirt used to fit him like a glove, now it looks almost like a tent on him. There are needle marks covering both of his arms. He must have been drugged every single day he was missing and multiple times a day at that. The marks covered both arms from his wrists to his elbows. When I find the son of a bitch who did this to him, I'm going to make him regret he was ever born! And I will find him, no matter how long it takes." Callen was livid _"No one does this to one of my team, my family and gets away with it. I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do, but I will end this prick. You hear me you bastard. I'm coming for you and I'm going to find you and end you!"_

Sam glanced at Callen with a worried look on his face as he continued talking to Hetty. _"Great, all I need now is for you to go off the rails G. Deeks needs you. He doesn't need you to retreat from the rest of us and go it alone so don't do anything stupid. Don't go lone wolf on us. We need everyone working together on this. He needs us at our very best if we're going to help him and find this monster."_

"Mr Callen, I expect you to stay in control." Hetty cautioned. "You won't help Mr. Deeks by going rogue. He needs you by his side as he fights this. I will see you at the hospital. I have a few things I need to do first to help him." With that Hetty ended the call and went up to ops.

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	15. Chapter 14 - The Ambulance Ride

We're back to our regular schedule of one chapter per week, usually on Friday or Saturday.

I have my plot minion, Bloodthirsty, locked securely in his closet. Let's hope he doesn't get out. He's a sneaky one. Romeo and Friendly are dancing around my feet about this chapter. They say it's about time Marty's friends take care of him and he and Kensi share a moment.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I enjoy reading all of your reviews and I think I answered everyone I could. To my French and Spanish reviewers: Mochas gracias for su opinión . and Merci beaucoup pour votre avis .

Virtual 'amores for all of you! The ride isn't over yet folks, we're not even half-way through this story so there is lots more to come.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

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CHAPTER 14 - The Ambulance Ride

Nell and Eric were both working tirelessly to find any additional information on Ivan Lee and his associates when Hetty entered the room. "Miss Jones, please come with me to my office. I need you to do something for me that will help Mr. Deeks."

Nell looked over at Hetty, "Okay, anything to help Deeks." She followed Hetty down to her office and stood in front of her desk as Hetty sat down.

"Have a seat Miss Jones. Would you like a cup of tea? I have a wonderful blend that just finished steeping."

"Sure, that would be nice." Once both women had tea cups in their hands, Nell asked "What do you want me to do to help him?"

"I'm sure you realize that he can't go back to his old apartment once he's out of the hospital. That location has been compromised, at least twice now. I would like you to find him another place to live. I want everything moved to the new place and ready for him when he goes home." She handed Nell a sheet of paper. "Here are the things that are non-negotiable and a list of four properties I know of that he might like. Look them over in person, then let me know which one is the most appropriate in your opinion."

Nell looked over the list and raised an eyebrow when she noticed a world-class security system was one of the nonnegotiable items on the list. "Do the properties on this list already have a security system like the one listed or do you want me to have one installed in the one I pick? What if he doesn't like the one I pick out?"

"If, after he's seen the place you pick out and lived there for a while, he doesn't like it, we'll help him find something else. I have faith in you Miss Jones. I'm sure whatever you decide he will be most happy with. And yes, please make sure the property you decide on has the security system in place or get one put in. Expense it to this NCIS account." Hetty handed her another slip of paper with the NCIS account number on it. "In fact, expense whatever you need to make the place ready for Mr. Deeks to this account. I'll explain to the Director."

"I won't let either of you down." Nell turned around and went back up to ops thinking furiously. As soon as she was in front of her computer, she began checking out the properties on the list Hetty had given her.

~,~,~

Hetty next called the hospital administrator and arranged for Marty to be admitted under the name Andrew Martin as a precaution. She told him she was having Marty's medical records faxed over to him. She emphasized the need for discretion when dealing with Marty's injuries and identity. "Please make sure only your most trusted people attend to him. This is a matter of national security, Richard."

"Hetty, have I ever let you down?" Richard was an old friend of Hetty's and had been in situations like this before. He was surprised she felt the need to explain things to him and wondered who Andrew Martin was to bring out Hetty's maternal instincts to this degree. "Who is this young man to you? I don't need his real name, but it sounds like he's very important to you."

"He is Richard, he is. I promised a very dear friend before he died that I would look after his child and keep him safe. I failed to do so in this instance and we have reason to believe the person who abducted Mr. Martin may try again. I'm not willing to take any chances."

"We'll take good care of him Hetty. Call me at any time for anything you need for Mr. Martin. You can count on me."

"Thanks again Richard." Hetty was feeling better after talking to Richard.

She returned to ops to inform the wonder twins she was on her way to the hospital and let them know they were welcome to come and wait with the others for news about Mr. Deeks.

~,~,~

Kensi sat in the back of the ambulance as it sped toward the hospital with the emergency lights on and the siren blaring. She was concentrating on her partner so fiercely she had tunnel vision. She didn't notice anything around her because her eyes were glued to his face. She wanted to touch him with every fiber of her being but she didn't want to upset him any more than he already was. He was extremely restless and kept mumbling about someone named Sam. _"Maybe he's hallucinating again. That bastard drugged him so much with so many different drugs I'm surprised he was able to get away. Please God, he's got to make it through this. He looks bad, so bad right now. Please don't let him die; help him through this."_ Kensi was praying throughout the ride _"I'll do anything to get him back. If someone has to die, let it be me. He doesn't deserve this. He's a good man, a great partner and I love him."_

Mike continually monitored Marty's condition and was becoming increasingly worried. Even with the two IV's running full bore, he remained severely dehydrated. His temperature was rising; it was now 103 degrees, his heart was racing and his pulse was thready. He contacted the hospital with the most current information on his condition and received authorization to administer additional drugs to help stabilize him until they reached the hospital. Shock was a definite possibility if his dehydration didn't improve while his increasing fever could lead to a seizure. Mike called to Leanne up front "Can we go any faster Leanne? His vitals are becoming increasingly unstable."

Kensi's heart clenched in fear when she heard Mike tell Leanne to go faster, but all of her attention remained focused on Marty. She had stayed out of Mike's way while he was treating him, but now that he was done for the moment, she took one of Marty's hands in her own hoping it would let him know he wasn't alone. A few minutes later, he started coming around. As he became more aware of his surroundings he started panting and showing signs of distress. He once again began trembling; his eyes darting around the inside of the ambulance like he was looking for someone he expected to see but couldn't find. "Where's Sam? I thought…why isn't he here with me? I need Sam." Marty's voice was soft and hesitant as he looked at Kensi pleadingly.

Kensi started carding her hands through his hair once she had his attention. She tried to keep eye contact but he kept glancing away from her looking around the ambulance then returning his eyes to hers. "Can you tell me who Sam is? I don't know him." Kensi asked when he once again looked at her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Kensi, your partner. Try to relax, you're safe now. I'll take good care of you. Who's Sam?"

"Sam? Sam's my dad. Where is he?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure Sam will meet you at the hospital. Do you remember anything or anyone yet?"

A look of confusion crossed his face as he searched for any memory of the woman in front of him or what had happened to him to put him where he currently was. "Ummm…no. I can't remember what happened. I'm…I'm not sure…but, I think you look…look familiar. I feel like I should know you…but…when I try to remember, there's nothing there for me to remember…everything is a blank. Why can't I remember? What happened to me?"

"I'm Kensi like I told you before. I'm your partner and girlfriend. I'm going to make sure nothing else happens to you, okay?" She was beyond caring at this point who knew she and Marty were involved. She would shout it from the highest rooftop if she thought it would help him. She was doing everything she could to keep him calm and, hopefully, see a look of recognition cross his face.

"You're my girlfriend, really?…really? That's…I…I think I like that…that's awesome. Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful? Because you are you know." He was looking at her intently as he spoke trying to find something, anything, that would jog his memory of her but nothing surfaced. His memory remained stubbornly blank. "So, you and me…uh…partners…and boyfriend and girlfriend too? What are we partners in? How long have we known each other? How'd I get so lucky?" Marty's face was full of confusion. "If you're my girlfriend, then I can trust you, right? I f…f…feel like I can trust you…but everything is so confusing right now." He repeated his question from earlier. "What happened to me?"

"Marty, I promise. You can trust me. I've been looking for you since the day you disappeared…we all have, me and the rest of the team. We're so glad we found you. Don't worry about your confusion. It's from all the drugs in your system." She ran her hands gently down his face. "You're also running a fever which doesn't help matters."

"That's why I'm having so…so much trouble remembering…? But how could I forget you? You're unforgettable." Even drugged to the gills and feverish, he could still charm her.

Kensi smiled softly at his words. "Don't worry about it. Can you tell me anything about what happened to you?" She was hoping he could provide them with some new information to help them catch the bastard who had tortured him for days.

His breathing sped up and he began to get agitated again. "I…I don't, I mean I…I can't…I'm not sure." He huffed out a breath as he continued. "All I remember is…pain…and…and someone laughing at me." He looked at Kensi and repeated himself for the third time. "What happened to me?"

While Kensi and Marty were talking, Mike noticed his temperature had risen another degree and his heart rate was increasing. He looked out the front of the ambulance hoping to see the hospital up ahead. Marty needed help and he needed it now.

Kensi continued lightly caressing his face. "Don't worry about what you can and can't remember right now. You've been through a lot. Like I said, your body is full of drugs, you're feverish and you've got a concussion which doesn't help. Things will become clearer once the drugs are out of your system and you've had some rest. Your only job is to concentrate on getting better, okay? I'm staying with you until you're better so no one can hurt you again."

Though his memory of what he had gone through was still largely a blank to him, he remembered the pain and terror. Kensi's words helped calm him down a little. Her hands caressing his face were gentle and felt good to him. They felt familiar, so familiar, and gave him a sense of peace that had been absent from his life since his abduction. For reasons he couldn't explain to anyone, even himself, he felt safe with her. Sam had told him to run until he was safe and to find someone to help him. He decided maybe Sam had steered him toward her. At least he hoped so.

He looked around the inside of the ambulance again to see if Sam was there when something in the corner that wasn't Sam caught his attention. He stared at the corner trying to decide what he was seeing. He didn't realize it, but he was having another visual hallucination. He looked at Kensi then back to the corner several times before he motioned to her to come closer. When she leaned forward, he whispered to her, "Do you see a dog in the corner over there? I can. I can see him, he's right there. Is he real? You see him don't you?"

She had no idea what he was talking about, but knew he was looking to her for reassurance. She frowned and glanced toward Mike for some guidance. He just shrugged his shoulders at her as if to say, 'do whatever you think best', so she asked "Which corner?"

When Marty pointed toward where he 'saw' the dog, Kensi nodded and answered "Yes, I see him."

"He looks mean to me. Whose dog is he anyway…and…and what's he doing here? Is he going to bite me?" He looked at Kensi with fear in his eyes.

She took a moment looking at the corner he pointed at trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't upset him, then answered. "That's Monty; he's your dog. You took him in when he developed doggy PSTD. He used to be a bomb dog but he lives with you now. He won't bite you, in fact he's very protective of you. He tried to protect you when you were taken, but the men who took you hurt him."

At the look of sheer pain and anger that flashed across his face upon hearing Monty had been hurt, she rushed to reassure him. "He's fine now, he's fine. Don't worry about him. He's staying with me and missing you terribly. That's why he's watching you so closely right now. He wants to make sure you're safe."

Marty kept glancing between Kensi and Monty. "Oh…okay…that's okay then. I…I'm glad he's okay. So he's mine then, seriously? I didn't realize I had a dog with purple fur." He glanced back at the corner. "It's kind of an ugly purple color too. I bet people tease him a lot, but that's okay, I like him no matter what he looks like. It's what's inside that counts."

As he continued hallucinating, she looked at Mike feeling completely helpless which was something she absolutely hated. Mike made sure he documented the hallucination because he knew the doctors would want to know about it. With the many drugs as he had in his system, any small bit of information might be very important in determining how best to treat him. Mike was relieved he had regained consciousness because it was a good sign.

A few minutes later, Marty started trembling and squirming around on the gurney. "What's wrong Marty?" Kensi gripped his hand tightly.

"I'm…I'm not feeling so good. My head is really pounding…and I…I can't stop trembling…everything hurts. What's happening?"

Mike interrupted at that point. "Where do you hurt?"

"Everywhere, but my ribs are really sore. Why are they so sore?"

Mike replied "You have cracked and broken ribs so they're going to be very painful for a while. Let me know immediately if the pain gets worse."

"O…okay."

Kensi realized his hands were cold so asked "Are you cold?"

"A little." He looked at her and then quickly looked away in embarrassment.

Kensi looked around for a blanket. "Mike is there another blanket we can cover him with? He's cold."

Mike reached into one of the cabinets and took one out. He gave it to her and she immediately covered Marty with it, tucking it underneath him gently.

"Thanks, the blanket feels good." His lips curled into a small smile before he bit them to ride out the wave of pain that passed through his body.

"I'm glad. You rest, it's the best thing for you right now. You've been hurt, but we'll be at the hospital soon and you'll get the treatment you need there. The doctors will take care of you."

At the mention of the hospital, Marty panicked and began pleading with her. "No…no hospital…don't make me go there. I don't want to go! I don't l…l…like hospitals." he stammered. "They don't help you there. They say they're going to help you but they don't…th…they just patch you up then send you back to…he…hell. Don't put me in the hospital, _please_." he whimpered.

"I'll be with you I promise." Kensi kept trying to soothe him but it wasn't working.

He looked around desperately for Sam again, finally 'seeing' him behind Mike. He struggled to get off the gurney to go to Sam, all the while pleading with him "Sam, don't let them take me to the hospital, please! You said I would be safe. You…you said I should run until I found someone to help me. If I go to the hospital, I won't be safe…I won't be. He'll come and hurt me again Sam…he will…I know it. _Please_ Sam, don't make me go." His eyelashes were starred with unshed tears and the fear in his voice and the look in his troubled eyes was overwhelming.

Mike was holding his arms down to prevent him from removing the straps securing him to the gurney as he continued to struggle. He wasn't strong enough to get off it but it didn't stop him from trying. As he continued struggling and begging Sam to help him, the tears in his eyes overflowed and slipped down his cheeks into the scruff on his face. Kensi felt her heart clenching at the fear and pain she could see in his stormy blue eyes. _"Who is this Sam he keeps talking about? He's never mentioned a Sam to me. And who is this Sam he keeps asking for anyway? I know his father's name was Gordon John Brandel, not Sam. It's got to be because of all the drugs in his system."_

Taking his face in her hands once again, she continued talking softly to him while looking deep into his eyes. "I promise you, no one is going to hurt you, but you need to be in the hospital. You need to be seen by a doctor, please. I'll stay by your side the entire time; the whole team will be there. I'm sure Sam will be there too. We'll make sure you get help and that no one hurts you again, okay? Please let the doctors take care of you. Do it for me, please."

"You'll stay with me? Really? Promise? And Sam…Sam will be there too?" he begged her.

"I promise."

"Don't let him get me again. I can't take any more, okay?"

Kensi promised him again and continued lightly stroking his face. His breathing eased somewhat while his heart rate began slowing slightly and she heaved a sigh of relief. She glanced over at Mike getting a look of encouragement from him.

"We'll be there soon." He knew what she was going to ask and answered her before she could do so.

He continued speaking "We're almost there; we're at the intersection at Wilshire and…" the ambulance shuddered violently and began spinning wildly throwing everything in the back of the vehicle that wasn't tied down around which included Kensi and Mike. It must have spun around six or seven times before tipping over and skidding along the street on its side. "What's happening?" Kensi yelled as both she and Mike were being tossed around the inside of the ambulance. She hit her head against one of the cabinets opening up a cut which began to bleed but didn't even realize it.

Mike yelled. "We've been hit. Hold onto something."

All Sam and Callen could do was watch in horror as a dump truck barreled through the red light at high speed and t-boned the ambulance as it was proceeding through the intersection, sending it spinning out of control.

"Marty! What about Marty?" Kensi yelled.

~,~,~

AN: Oops, cliffhanger! I couldn't resist. This one is all on me.


	16. Chapter 15 - The Crash

A/N: To the anonymous reviewers who seem to hate this story: If you think it is so easy to write love stories and whump, then **QUIT READING THIS STORY AND WRITE YOUR OWN since you think this one is shit!** You've kept reading this far but it must be only so you can be a jerk and criticize my writing. I welcome constructive criticism but you are not leaving that and aren't brave enough to leave your name or any way to for me to reply to you so I'm considering the source and choosing to ignore you.

Rant's over, on with the good stuff.

~,~,~

Thanks to everyone who left **constructive** reviews and criticism. I've answered everyone I could. Know that I appreciate your thoughts very much. It is the only form of payment I get for writing these stories. To my guest reviewers except for a couple, thanks so much for letting me know what you think. I wish I could reply to you personally, but this will have to do.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thanks again to the marvelous nherbie for reviewing this chapter before I posted it. You always have suggestions that make the story better!

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 15 - The Crash

All Sam and Callen could do was watch in horror as a dump truck barreled through the red light at high speed and t-boned the ambulance as it was proceeding through the intersection, sending it spinning out of control.

"Marty! What about Marty?" Kensi yelled.

~,~,~

"He'll be okay, he's strapped in and the gurney is locked into place." Mike yelled as he was thrown against the sides of the vehicle during each spin. "I'm more worried about us and Leanne!" He saw Kensi being thrown back and forth just like he was as the vehicle spun around repeatedly. "Are you okay? You've got blood running down the side of your face."

"I do?" She was holding on to one of the cabinets for dear life, so reached up and put her free hand against her hairline. When she pulled it back and looked at it, it was covered in blood. "I must have hit my head harder than I thought. I'm fine though. Just a bit of a headache. Don't worry about me."

Mike knew he had enough problems without having a hysterical woman on his hands, so when Kensi surprised him by remaining calm he thanked all that was holy. He knew she was worried about her partner, and with the blood running down her face he was surprised she wasn't screaming and crying. That would have been a normal reaction under these circumstances. _"She must be something else. She's one tough cookie that's for sure,"_ he thought as they both continued trying to keep from getting tossed around anymore than they already had been.

Marty was whimpering in fear because he didn't understand what was going on. He kept crying out "He's found me…no…no…I have to get away…he'll hurt me again." over and over. He tried to look for Kensi but with the ambulance spinning around like a top he wasn't able to keep his eyes on her which only increased his panic. He began desperately tugging at the straps across his body, struggling to get off the gurney while panting and crying out. "He's back. No, not again…not again. He…he found me. He's here…here to get me. Don't let him take me _please_. I have to get out of here or he'll get me again! Let me go _please_!"

Mike got one glimpse at the front of the ambulance while it was spinning; noticing Leanne slumped over the steering wheel but he couldn't do anything about it because he was having too much trouble staying on his own two feet, not to mention trying to keep Marty calm. He grabbed the side of the gurney with one hand and grabbed Marty's hands again with the other to keep him from undoing the straps. It also helped keep him on his feet. "It's okay Marty, it's okay. We were hit by another vehicle. No-ones here to get you." He had to keep repeating that everything was okay, no one was there to get him but rather they had been hit by another vehicle because it wasn't getting through to Marty. He just kept struggling and begging to be let go.

Just when Mike thought he had Marty calmed down, the ambulance lost its fight against gravity and toppled over onto its side sending him and Kensi flying across the ambulance bay once again. It slid down the street emitting a loud grinding noise as the side of the vehicle scrapped along the roadway.

After what seemed like an eternity to the people inside, it slammed against something, coming to an abrupt stop sending both Kensi and Mike careening into the side of the ambulance yet once again. The sudden silence was deafening. They looked at each other breathing hard for several moments waiting for something else to happen before they realized the vehicle had finally come to a complete stop. Once they realized the vehicle had stopped for good, they sprang into action. Mike climbed into the cab to check on Leanne while Kensi went over to Marty to try and calm him down. Mike found Leanne totally unresponsive to stimuli with a large contusion on her forehead. It looked like she had hit her head on the steering wheel. He tried to call the crash into dispatch, but the radio had been smashed in the crash. "Damn it all to hell. This is a nightmare." he grumbled as he threw the mic across the cab. He climbed out of the vehicle to find a phone to request additional help.

Kensi looked into Marty's eyes and found them wild with fright. He was in a lot of pain; not only from what had been done to him while he was missing but from the straps of the gurney where they crossed his body that had caused additional bruising to his torso throughout the wild ride after the crash. Kensi was feeling the effects of the crash herself and knew she would soon be sporting some large bruises, but she had no time to worry about herself. She had her hands full with Marty. He was still struggling to get off the gurney so she began stroking his face gently, brushing his hair back away from his eyes and whispering soothing words to him. The more she talked and stroked his face, the calmer he became. After a few minutes, he was able to look at her without the abject fear in his eyes. It wasn't much but she was encouraged by it.

~,~,~

Sam slammed on his brakes when the dump truck ran the red light. He and Callen could only sit there and watch helplessly as the ambulance was hit and then spun around and around before it tipped over onto its side and slid along the street until it's back-end hit a light pole and came to an immediate stop. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Later Callen would tell Hetty he had been able to see the driver of the dump truck slumped over his steering wheel and the ambulance spinning like a top after it was hit.

Sam gunned his car through the intersection then parked it at the side of the street. Both men jumped out and rushed over to the crashed vehicle to see what they could do to help. They ran to the back of it to open the doors but found them almost welded together due to all the damage done during the crash. Sam continued trying everything he could think of to pry the back doors open, while Callen pulled out his cell to let the wonder twins and Hetty know what had happened.

"Already on it Callen." Eric stated before Callen had even asked the question. "The police have been notified and another ambulance will be there in less than 5 minutes. We've been tracking the ambulance on traffic cams and saw everything."

"Thanks Eric. You're the best." He was about to return to Sam to help with the doors when Mike called out to him.

"We need two ambulances and more paramedics and I can't request them; the damned radio's smashed all to hell. Can you call it in?"

"Eric, make that two ambulances and additional paramedics." Callen gave Mike a thumbs up. "And would you call into the ambulance company dispatch. Their radio is dead and one of the paramedics is hurt."

"Will do."

Mike got the short back board from the back of the ambulance after he checked on Marty. He managed to extract Leanne from the front seat on the short board and put her on the ground where he assessed her condition. Besides the contusion on her forehead, she had a huge lump at the side and several cuts along her hairline that were bleeding freely. He grabbed several 4x4 gauze pads and taped them over the cuts to stop it. As soon as he finished taping the 4x4's down, he completed his assessment, wrote down her current vitals then trotted over to the dump truck to check on the driver. As soon as the man came into view, Mike knew he was already gone. His face had a slight blue tint to it and his body had already started cooling. He grabbed a blanket from the ambulance to cover the body. He checked on Leanne again to determine if the bleeding from her head wounds had started up again then went back to check on Marty. The sight that greeted him there was a relief. Kensi had his hand in hers and was quietly assuring him that everything was going to be okay. Whenever he mentioned someone trying to get him again, she would repeat her quiet assurances.

"How are you doing?" Mike asked as he reached out to check his vitals again. Marty was noticeably paler than before, his breathing was shallow and he was beginning to slur his words slightly.

"Hurz…mm ribs…mmre now than before." He looked around in bewilderment. "Wha happnnnd?"

"We were hit by another vehicle. Try to take it easy. There will be another ambulance here in minutes and we'll get you to the hospital." Mike looked up at Kensi and gave his head a slight shake. She knew what that meant. He was worried about Marty's condition. She was too because he felt hotter than he had right before the crash. She was sure his temperature was spiking and his condition was rapidly going downhill.

~,~,~

Callen jogged back over to Sam where he was still trying to get the doors open and softly swearing in frustration. He moved up to help, but nothing they tried enabled them to get them open. Sam was frustrated and continued swearing under his breath. He knew Kensi could get out through the cab but to get Deeks out on the gurney, they needed the back doors open. They could take a chance and remove him from it to get him out through the cab as well, but with all of his injuries, that was the last thing Sam or anyone else wanted to think about doing. None of them knew how much more he could take. He and Callen traded identical looks of frustration at the situation.

"Damn it all to hell Sam, what else is going to happen to Deeks? First the starvation and torture and now this. He can't seem to catch a break. Hasn't he suffered enough already?"

Sam put his hand on Callen's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "He's gonna to make it. We got him back and he's gonna to make it, G." The sound of sirens interrupted their conversation but neither one of them minded. The sirens were from two ambulances and a fire truck approaching the scene.

Mike remained busy moving between Leanne and Marty concentrating on keeping them both in stable condition. He felt like a ping pong ball with all the running back and forth he was doing. Leanne had yet to regain consciousness from the blow to the side of her head where she impacted the driver's side window. Marty's temperature was rising again and was now at 103.5 degrees. Mike was worried about the fact he was slurring his words and knew that if his temperature got much higher, he could suffer a seizure. Both of his patients needed to be in the hospital as soon as possible. He looked up and gave a prayer of thanks when the ambulances arrived because it meant that he had help for both of them.

He went to meet the new arrivals with relief. He spent a couple of minutes updating both teams on the current condition of his patients along with history of their vitals he'd been documenting. As soon as he finished, one set of paramedics moved to the front of the wrecked vehicle to take over Leanne's care while the second team climbed into the ambulance through the cab to take over caring for Marty. Both teams performed like a well-oiled machine.

Sarah Jameson and Mark O'Shea comprised the team taking over as Marty's attendants. Sarah was the first one to reach him in the back of the vehicle. When she saw who was lying on the gurney, she looked back at Mark and yelled, "Mark, you're not going to believe this! The patient…it's Marty!" Kensi looked toward her in shock, but said nothing because she was already turning to her patient to reassure him. "Hi Marty. Fancy meeting you here. I didn't realize you'd be our patient when we got the call. We'll take good care of you buddy."

Marty looked at the woman talking to him in confusion before asking, "Do I know you?"

Sarah was disappointed at not being recognized but from Mike's explanation of his injuries, she knew he was having problems with his memory. "Don't worry about it sweetie. I'll explain later." She gave him reassuring smiles as she checked him over once more. She completed her assessment of his current condition realizing, based on the vitals Mike had given her previously, that he was continuing to deteriorate.

Kensi was very curious about Sarah and how she knew Deeks. She wanted to hear the explanation as well. From the way she was acting and talking to him, Kensi could tell they knew each other well. Sarah was a tall willowy but well-built blonde and in spite of herself, Kensi could feel a bit of jealousy rearing its head at the thought of how the two of them knew each other. He'd never mentioned a Sarah to her and she was trying hard not to over-react.

The fire engine crew had assessed the scene and the captain had already given everyone their orders. Two of the crew checked the back doors of the wreaked ambulance while the remaining men began working the accident scene itself. They spread out, some moving to the dump truck, a couple moving bystanders back from the scene and the others pulling hoses out.

Louis Delgado, one of the firemen checking the truck yelled out to his captain. "Cap! The dump truck is leaking diesel. I'm going to hose the street down."

"Make sure you get all of it. We don't need a spark from the jaws of life igniting the gas if we need to use them. This scene's enough of a mess as it is." Captain Brooks replied. He was watching his men trying to open the ambulance doors and knew the jaws would be needed. He could have told his men immediately, but he believed in letting them decide how they would approach a given situation.

The firemen weren't having any better luck at getting the doors open than Sam had. Just like the captain had known, they decided to use the jaws of life to pry the doors apart since they were crushed so badly from the impact with the light pole. They set up the jaws then began working on the doors. Sam and Callen watched them work with barely controlled frustration at how long everything was taking. The two firemen worked diligently and were rewarded a few minutes later with the sound of the metal doors squealing as they finally began to part. Once the jaws had opened the doors far enough, the firemen pried them the rest of the way open so that the gurney could be removed.

~,~,~

Sarah and Mark got Marty transferred to their ambulance with Kensi, Sam and Callen following behind their friend. He was dozing again which Kensi thought was probably the best thing for him at the moment. He had been agitated while the jaws were being used because he didn't know what the noise was about. She had spent the time explaining what they were to him and keeping him calm. She began to climb into the back with him when Mark reached his arm out and stopped her. He was about to tell her she couldn't go with them when Sarah put her hand on his arm and shook her head. He shrugged then climbed into the front seat. Kensi jumped in the back, then Sam closed the doors and gave them two raps to let him know he could leave.

The ambulance slowly made its way past the accident scene and then sped up. "We'll be at the hospital in less than 5 minutes."

Kensi couldn't contain herself any longer. She just had to know how Sarah knew Marty. "How do you know Marty? Have you known him long? You seem to be a good friend."

"The three of us went to high school together. Marty was somewhat of a loner but when I was being bullied by some of the 'queen bees' in my freshman year, he stood up for me. I introduced him to Mark and we've been friends ever since. He and Mark formed a band together. They were pretty good in high school and played a lot of local gigs. Did Marty ever mention "Touching Wood"? That was the name of the band. He's the reason Mark and I are engaged right now. Somehow he figured out Mark liked me but was afraid to say anything because he was sure I wouldn't want anything to do with him. I had this huge crush on Mark which Marty knew about so he acted as a matchmaker for us. He's kind of like a big brother to Mark and me now even though we don't see each other very often what with our conflicting schedules. We keep in contact through texts and phone calls. You must be Kensi. He's told us a lot about you."

"He has? He's never mentioned you two. What did he say about me?" Kensi was curious; she couldn't deny wanting to know what Marty had told his friend about her.

"Nothing bad, I assure you. He's in love with you; head over heels in love with you. You know that don't you? We've never heard or seen him so happy before. You must be good for him. He's a great guy, but he always seemed so lonely before he met you." She gave Kensi a very serious look. "Please don't hurt him. He's had enough pain in his life already. I've never seen him as serious about a relationship as he is about the one with you."

Kensi could feel the slight flush overtake her face as she replied "I know he loves me and I love him. We're partners so we have each other's back at work. It took a long time for me to admit to myself that I loved him." Kensi looked down at her hands as she continued. "I…well I had been hurt pretty badly by a guy a long time ago and I guess I was afraid Marty would hurt me too. Neither one of us is very good at communication, but we're all in now. I'll do my best to never hurt him, I promise." She looked toward him and Sarah could see the love in her eyes. She wisely remained silent.

Kensi glanced at Sarah and the two women smiled at each other in understanding, then both turned their attention back to the man lying in front of them. Kensi again reached out and took one of his hands in hers. He stirred at her touch and opened his eyes. "Where are we?"

"We're almost to the hospital. We should be there in a couple of minutes now."

"He'll find me if I'm in the hospital Kensi. They don't help you there. I don't want to go there. Please don't make me." he pleaded.

"We talked about this. You need help only a doctor and a hospital can give you."

"You promise? I…everything is a blank, but for some reason I…I trust you."

"I promise I'll stay with you and make sure no one hurts you again."

He looked at her for the longest time before replying, "Okay."

They were approaching the hospital when a look of disgust went across his face and he began squirming once more. "Something smells. What's that…that smell, Kensi? You can smell that can't you? Its…it smells horrible; like someone died." he blurted out right before he began to seize.

~,~,~

Kensi looked at Sarah in a panic. "Do something, please."

Sara informed the hospital of the seizure and was authorized to give him a 1 g/kg dose of activated charcoal to absorb any PCP that might have been given him. Further treatment options would be determined once he was examined. She administered the activated charcoal, tightened the straps securing him to the gurney then turned to Kensi "We're coming into the emergency entrance now. The activated charcoal should help until he's seen by a doctor."

Marty's seizure didn't last long, but he remained unconscious as the ambulance pulled into the emergency entrance after what felt like eternity to Kensi. She followed the gurney as he was wheeled into the ER keeping her promise to stay with him. However, she was prevented from continuing to keep that promise when his gurney reached the trauma room itself. She was stopped at the entrance by a nurse who barred her from the door. She stood there looking lost as the man she loved was transferred from the gurney to a bed.

She watched the frantic activity going on in the exam room and felt her heart in her throat. _"I'm sorry Marty. They won't let me in the room with you. Hang in there. You promised me. You have to be okay, you just have to. I don't know what I'll do if you die on me."_ She didn't know what she would do if he died and she didn't want to find out either. " _I forbid you to die, you hear me? You fight, fight hard to keep your promise. I'm counting on your stubbornness. "You look so fragile in that bed…but I know how hard you'll fight to keep your promise. I don't know how you lasted this long but I'm so glad you did. Please don't leave me alone."_

Sam and Callen found her staring into the room where her partner was being treated when they arrived in the emergency room at a run a few minutes later. Taking one look at her, Sam gathered her into his arms and together with Callen, they moved to the waiting room after telling the nurse where they would be. Hetty, Nell, Eric and even Owen Granger joined them there over the course of the next hour. Hetty informed the team that Deeks had been admitted under the alias Andrew Martin and when referring to him they should use his alias or call him Marty. She also told them Ivan Lee had escaped from prison.

"What! How the hell did that happen? Why didn't anyone tell us he was out of prison?" Kensi was incensed.

"We only found out a day or two ago. I didn't want to distract the team from trying to find Mr. Deeks. Lt. Bates is looking into that oversight right now. He and Mr. Deeks should have been informed the minute Lee escaped and they weren't. He's determined to find out why. It's the reason I had Mr. Deeks admitted under an alias."


	17. Chapter 16 Waiting and Questions

Thanks to everyone who left reviews. I've answered everyone I could. Know that I appreciate your thoughts very much. It is the only form of payment I get for writing these stories. To my guest reviewers thanks so much for letting me know what you think. I wish I could reply to you personally, but this will have to do.

To my Spanish reviewer: Muchas gracias por las amables palabras . Los comentarios son lo que me mantienen escritura . Me alegro de que estés disfrutando de la historia. Hay mucho más por venir .

To my French reviewer: Merci beaucoup pour l'encouragement . Lorsque je l'ai écrit " biscuit dur " Je l'ai utilisé comme argot pour une personne qui est très intelligent , compétent, et peut tenir son propre dans le monde d' un homme . Je pense que Kensi est tout cela et plus encore.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Thanks again to the marvelous nherbie for reviewing this chapter before I posted it. You always have suggestions that make the story better!

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 16 - Waiting and Questions

"…It's the reason I had Mr. Deeks admitted under an alias."

~,~,~

Everyone settled in to wait to hear how Deeks was doing. As time passed, they each coped with the worry in their own ways. Kensi paced up and down the room; 15 steps forward, turn around and 15 steps back; over and over again. Nell and Eric sat together at the back of the room working on their lap tops and whispering to each other on occasion; Eric trying to find additional information on where Deeks had been held and Nell looking over the list of properties Hetty had given her. Sam was sitting as still as a statue in one of the chairs with his eyes closed trying to meditate but all he succeeded in doing was worry about the detective. Owen and Hetty were talking softly about the case and if their liaison would recover from his ordeal. Callen stood looking out the window going over everything they knew, glancing every so often at Kensi.

Lt. Bates came by a little later and Hetty filled him in on what they knew so far. She also let him know about Deeks' alias. He was in the middle of wrapping up an undercover operation so he couldn't stay and wait with them. He did tell Hetty that there were several friends of Deeks on the force waiting for word and that he was going to inform them he had been found. She promised to let him know what the doctors said as soon as they heard anything.

After what seemed like days but was only a few hours, a doctor appeared in the waiting room. "Family of Mr. Martin?"

"That's us" Hetty answered for the whole group as they stood up and looked at the doctor with a mixture of dread and hope on their faces. "I'm Hetty Lange" Turning the group behind her she introduced them pointing at each person in turn. "This is Owen Granger, Sam Hanna, G. Callen, Kensi Blye, Eric Beale and Nell Jones."

"Okay" he said looking around at the disparate group of individuals. "I'm Dr. Montgomery. I've just come from examining Mr. Martin. We're running additional tests on him as we speak, but here's what we know so far."

"He is extremely malnourished, dehydrated and looks like he's lost about 30 pounds. He has two broken and 4 cracked ribs. His wrists, ankles and calves show signs of restraint while the soles of his feet are not only blistered and swollen, but they're covered in small cuts and bruises. His wrists and ankles are bleeding from where he was restrained. His calves have deep bruising from the restraints but aren't bleeding. He must have put up a hell of a fight trying to get out of the restraints to cause the amount of damage we've seen. His arms have slashes on them from his forearms to nearly his shoulders. They're shallow cuts and should heal without scarring. Most of the damage we've seen appears to be from repeated beatings. I would estimate the most recent one was within the last 24 hours since many of the slashes are still fresh and raw.

He has severe bruising over most of his body caused by repeated beatings as well. The bruising on his torso looks like it's from fists, along with something similar to a piece of wood as well as a flexible tube of some kind. There are new bruises he sustained from the gurney straps during the crash he was in. He has burns on his chest and back. His back is also covered in slashes from what is probably a whip or a cane. His blood work shows a high concentration of white blood cells which is an indication of infection. The burns on his chest and back are infected and have been for some time. Some of the deeper slashes on his back are also infected. There will be some scarring from the deeper ones. He's running a temperature of 103.5 degrees now. When he first arrived it was edging up to 105 degrees which I believe was the cause of the seizure he had in the ambulance. We've managed to lower it somewhat. We've put him on a broad-spectrum antibiotic to combat the infection and to continue lowering his temperature."

Hetty spoke up. "The person who did this sent us the address of a website where he filmed the torture sessions he subjected Mr. Martin to. We saw some of what was done to him."

The doctor interrupted "Do you know what caused the burns on his chest and back?"

"He was doused in water and then a cattle prod was used. At one point he was being beaten on the soles of his feet with a cane."

Dr. Montgomery closed his eyes in disgust before shaking his head then looking at Hetty. "My God. I wondered why his feet were so badly damaged. Why…why would anyone do that to another human being? The doctor's face reflected his troubled thoughts. "The soles of the feet are extremely sensitive with a multitude of nerve endings very close to the surface. Caning the feet is torture. One of the names for it is Bastinado. The person doing the caning usually aims at the arches of the feet but based on the condition of Mr. Martin's feet, I believe the person doing the caning hit him over the entire bottom of his feet, not just the arches. The injuries to his feet besides the cuts and bruises are similar to second- and third-degree burns. He must have been in agony the whole time he was being caned." A look of rage came over the doctor's face as he shook his head once again thinking over everything he had found during his examination. When he spoke, his voice was raw with emotion. "If I hadn't taken an oath to help people and to do no harm, and if I didn't believe _strongly_ in that oath, I would give the monster who did this a taste of his own medicine. Since I can't do that, I hope you find him and put him away for the rest of his life!"

"Don't worry doc, that's what we plan on doing." Callen snarled.

The doctor continued, "Mr. Martin has multiple needle marks in both arms from what looks like forced injections. Some of them show signs of the needle being torn from the skin afterwards. So far we've identified the following drugs in his system. LSD and PCP both show up in his blood work, probably forced down his throat based on the bruising and abrasions we saw in it, or else in food or liquids he was given. He's been injected with several different drugs which taken together can cause severe pain and hallucinations. Of them, we've identified cocaine and ketamine. We've also identified Rohypnol and GHB. We haven't identified any other drugs at this time, but we're continuing to analyze his blood chemistry. He's lucky to be alive with the amount of drugs we found in his system."

"He has some bruising to his kidneys but he's extremely lucky because we didn't find any other internal injuries. He sustained a grade 3 concussion at some point while he was missing and is suffering from post concussive syndrome."

"What are the symptoms and what is being done to treat it?" Hetty asked the question to which everyone wanted the answer. She continued, "And he likes to be called Marty."

"Post-concussive syndrome can cause a variety of symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, anxiety, fatigue, mood swings, trouble concentrating and trouble remembering." Dr. Williamson referred to his notes at this point, then continued. "Mr Martin, I mean Marty, is exhibiting at least five of these seven symptoms. The most serious symptom is his memory loss. He doesn't remember much of anything since he left work about two weeks ago. His memory of other events is spotty right now which could be the result of being dosed with Rohypnol or could be from the extent and combination of drugs he's been given. If it's because of the Rohypnol, I'm cautiously optimistic that it will improve fairly rapidly once the Rohypnol has been completely expelled from his body and he recovers from the concussion. If it's from the combination of drugs in his system, it might take a while longer for his memory to improve, but it should do so. We're going to have to wait and see."

"We're treating the symptoms carefully. Some of them may continue for several months. In severe cases, they can last for a year or more. Post-concussive syndrome can be made worse by exertion, alcohol and stress so it is very important that he be kept calm and resting. We're being very cautious administering any medication to him because of all the drugs already in his system. "

"As I mentioned, he seized once in the ambulance, probably from the spike in his temperature or possibly from the PCP he ingested. Since it's unknown if that was his first seizure, he's being treated with benzodiazepines to help prevent any more. He was given one dose of activated charcoal in the ambulance to help absorb the PCP. If necessary, we will follow the benzodiazepine with barbiturates, propofol, or both, depending on his condition."

Dr. Montgomery stopped for a moment to let the people in front of him absorb the information imparted so far. He could tell they were a close-knit group of people. The two men he had been introduced to as Sam and Callen were hugging the woman called Kensi while Nell and Eric had their heads together pouring over a computer screen when they weren't listening to his diagnosis of their friend.

"There's more. Are you ready to hear it?"

"Yes Doctor." Hetty replied.

"We're giving Marty a mild sedative to keep him calm because we don't want to give him any heavy-duty pain medication until we have a better idea of how many different drugs are already in his system. We don't want to risk a drug overdose. He's exhausted, as I'm sure you're aware but he's also in considerable pain which makes it hard for him to get good, restful sleep. The mild sedative will help with that. The extent of his injuries along with the drugs in his system exacerbate his need for sleep, so don't be surprised if he falls asleep without any warning. I expect him to be asleep more than he's awake for the next several days. It's the best thing for him right now."

"His lack of food intake for an extended period of time also has me concerned. He told us that all he remembers is being hungry all the time. I'd be surprised if he was ingesting more than a couple hundred calories a day, if that. We'll have to see how he tolerates a restricted caloric diet including small amounts of fluids such as milk before we introduce higher-calorie foods and more liquid into his system. Milk is a good choice to begin reintroducing food into him because it is naturally high in phosphate and can be easily tolerated by someone who's been starved. We'll be providing him with several small meals and small quantities of fluids throughout the day for several days. We'll be stopping the IVs as soon as we have him rehydrated. We'll continue monitoring his blood work and his nutrient levels as well as his tolerance to the food and fluids he receives. I don't want to run the risk of refeeding syndrome."

"What's refeeding syndrome?" Kensi asked.

"Refeeding syndrome is a potentially fatal shift in fluids and electrolytes that can occur in malnourished patients when they begin to eat again, especially if solid foods and liquids are introduced rapidly and in large amounts. Anyone who has had very little food intake for more than five days is at risk of developing the syndrome. Since Marty is severely malnourished and from what you've told us and was found during our examination, he's lost at least 30 pounds; hormonal and metabolic changes have already occurred. When a person loses as much weight as he has through being starved, there are changes in intracellular mineral levels and liver changes which can occur automatically to preserve muscle protein. It's a very serious condition."

"So the restricted caloric and liquid diet for now and re-introducing heavier foods slowly later will prevent this syndrome?" came from Hetty.

"It should Ms. Lange. That's why I'm being so careful with him right now. He has enough issues without us introducing a preventable one. Besides, solid foods eaten right away can cause abdominal pain, reflux symptoms, and nausea. He shouldn't have to contend with any of those symptoms either."

He continued. "He keeps asking where someone called Sam is. He kept saying Sam promised to stay with him. Do any of you know how we can get hold of Sam? I want him to remain calm and it sounds like Sam is someone he trusts implicitly. It's the best thing for him right now."

"He kept asking for Sam and saying Sam told him to run when he was being brought here," Kensi interjected. "but he's never said anything to me about any Sam except for Sam Hanna." Kensi pointed to Sam as she explained.

Hetty remained silent as the rest of the team looked at each other in confusion. None of them knew of any Sam except for their team mate and they knew Marty wasn't referring to Sam Hanna. She debated with herself on whether she should impart any information about the Sam he was referring to or leave it be. She knew it would bring up more questions from the team that she wouldn't be able to answer truthfully without breaking her promise to herself to let Marty decide when and how much he let the team know about his childhood. After thinking it over, she decided she had to at least let the doctor know that Sam was a real person.

"The person Mr. Martin is referring to is dead. He's been dead for many years but he was an important influence on him."

~,~,~

Hetty waited for the inevitable questions but before anyone could ask, the doctor continued. "That's too bad. I was hoping Sam, whoever he was, would be able to keep Mr Martin calm. He's awake right now but not fully cognizant of what's going on; again from all the drugs in his system. His feet are a mess and he is extremely weak so we catheterized him. We don't want him standing on them or walking until he's regained some strength and his feet have healed somewhat. We had to restrain him during the examination because he kept fighting us. He calmed down when we administered the mild sedative. Once we finished the exam we were able to remove the restraints. As I said, we did put him on a very low dose of pain meds, even with all of the other drugs in his system. All it does is take the edge off the pain so he is still quite uncomfortable. We're keeping him in ICU at least overnight. He'll be moved to a regular room tomorrow or the day after depending on his condition and whether or not he exhibits any additional symptoms. "

"Is there anyone else you think should know about his injuries; anyone else who might be able to keep him calm?"

Kensi spoke up "I promised I'd stay with him. He's terrified that the 'man'…" here she put quotes around the word man with her fingers. "…is going to come after him again. He's my partner; I should be with him. I can keep him calm so he can rest."

"He wondered where you were. He kept looking around for you saying you promised to stay with him. He was upset when he didn't see you." the doctor stated. "If there are no further questions, I suggest you all go home and get some rest. He's going to be sleeping a lot but he'll need all of you around if you're going to help him recover. Kensi, I can make arrangements for you to stay with him if it helps; however, I must warn you that if your presence causes him any anxiety, you'll have to leave. He doesn't need any more stress to his system. I'll have one of the nurses take you to him when you're ready. I would also like to arrange for a therapist to talk to him. I think he's going to need some help to get over what was done to him"

"I've already made arrangements for a therapist for Mr. Martin and his whole team. It's a doctor that's worked with them before when needed." Hetty informed him.

"Good. Someone he knows is the best solution. "With that the doctor turned and left to attend to his other patients.

Hetty looked at the team and could see questions about 'Sam' and how she knew about him on their faces but only Kensi asked the question they all obviously wanted to know the answer to.

Kensi stared straight into Hetty's eyes. "You know who Sam was don't you Hetty."

"Yes, I do Miss Blye. Why do you ask?"

"Who was he to Marty?"

Hetty thought about what she should tell her and by extension the rest of the team without betraying Mr. Deeks. He'd obviously not shared that part of his life with her as yet and she knew he hadn't mentioned it to anyone else. He was very protective of his privacy when it came to his childhood and that extended to Sam. She didn't feel it was her place to tell her or anyone else anything about Sam and his relationship to Deeks. "Miss Blye, it's not my story to tell. If you want to know who Sam was, then you should ask Mr. Deeks. He should be the one to decide if he wants to share that part of his life with you at this time."

Kensi sighed as she silently agreed with her. She knew Deeks still had secrets he didn't feel he could share with her, but then she'd kept quiet about her Dad's murder for a long time before she told anyone about it so she couldn't get angry at him for doing the same thing. "I guess you're right Hetty."

She looked to Hetty for permission to stay. Hetty waved her hand toward her. "Of course you should stay with your partner Miss Blye. Do keep us informed of his progress. We'll let you know if we come up with anything new on the case. Mr. Hanna will relieve you in the morning." She looked to see Sam nodding his head. "Meanwhile I have to call Lt. Bates and give him the latest news." She turned to the others waiting with her. "All of you, go home and get some rest. I'll see you all at the Mission at 9 am tomorrow. We'll find the bastard who did this, I promise you." Hetty pulled her phone out of her purse as she left the waiting room.

Kensi was getting ready to go to Deeks room when she remembered Monty. She stood still not knowing what to do. "Someone should stay with Monty; he's been alone in Deeks' apartment all day. I should go and take care of him." Kensi was torn; she didn't want to leave her partner, but she didn't want Monty to be alone either.

Sam came to her rescue. "I'll pick Monty up and take him home with me. You go stay with Marty. Kamran will have a lot of fun looking after Monty and he'll get plenty of attention from all of us. Don't worry. We'll take good care of Monty for you both." Sam would never admit it but the dog as well as his master had grown on the former SEAL.

"Thanks Sam." Kensi turned to go to ICU with a lighter heart now that she knew Monty would be taken care of while she kept her promise to stay with Deeks. The rest of the team did as Hetty had told them and went home.

~,~,~

Hetty walked down the hall from the waiting room as her call to Lt. Bates was answered by the man himself. "Bates here."

"I have word on how Mr. Deeks is doing. He has a long way to go but eventually he will be fine."

"That's great news. What did the doctor tell you?"

Hetty filled him in on everything the doctor had imparted to the team and let him know Deeks was in ICU at least for the night and one or two days after that depending on his condition before he would be transferred to a regular room.

"I'll come by and see him later this evening."

"Just be aware he is having trouble with his memory from all the drugs in his system. It doesn't help that he has a concussion as well. He might not remember you."

"Is it permanent?" Lt. Bates knew that if Deeks' memory problems were permanent, he might never again be able to do undercover work and he was the best undercover cop on the force.

"The doctor doesn't think so. He said his memory should improve greatly over the next day or so as the drugs are flushed from his system. He was amazed that Mr. Deeks didn't die from an overdose with the quantity of drugs he was injected with and/or forced to ingest."

~,~,~

Dr. Montgomery was walking out of another patient's room when Kensi walked by with the nurse on her way to the ICU. He began walking with her giving her additional information as they proceeded to Deeks' room. "Don't worry if he has additional hallucinations. They are often exacerbated by too many medications and the interactions between them; compounded by illness, anxiety and unfamiliar surroundings. He's experiencing all of these at the moment, most likely caused by the assortment of drugs in his system, especially the LSD and PCP. His system is overloaded; he's hurt, ill, in unfamiliar surroundings and has memory problems which only increases his anxiety."

"Don't be concerned either if he's not sure what day it is or seems confused about events that have occurred since he was abducted. The confusion is another side-effect of all the drugs he's been given. Don't let him get upset over not remembering an event or a person. I'm sure his memory will improve over the next few days."

"The LSD in his system should be gone within the next 12 hours or so. We know it's been at least three hours since he was last dosed because the ambulance was called to where he was found three hours ago. By tomorrow morning, we should be seeing some improvement. Until then, I'm hoping you'll be able to keep him from panicking if he does have more hallucinations."

"I'll take care of him and keep him calm. He's my partner, it's what we do." Kens replied as they arrived at Deeks' hospital room. She hesitated at the door, taking a moment to pluck up her courage before she went inside. She didn't want him to see her upset over his injuries. He didn't need to worry about her right now, he needed to concentrate on getting better and if he saw her upset, whether his memory of her was spotty or not, he would try to make it better somehow. That's just the way he always was around her.

The doctor watched her as she stood just outside the door to ICU. "You can go inside now Kensi." he encouraged her as she continued to stand there in a daze.

"I know, I'm taking a moment to prepare myself." She took one more deep calming breath, reached out, opened the door then disappeared inside.

~,~,~

Callen had been silent since leaving the hospital and throughout the drive home with Nell. He remained silent all evening and she could tell he was very worried about Deeks. She didn't like the fact he was brooding and as well as she knew him, she knew he was also feeling guilty over what had been done to him. She finally couldn't stand it any longer and sat down in his lap to get his attention.

"Talk to me G. Deeks is going to be okay. The doctor was encouraging. You know that, so what's going on in that head of yours?" When she finally got him to look her in the eyes, his were troubled and full of worry.

"Nell, I…you weren't there when he escaped…you haven't seen the shape he's in." He sighed. "I've seen a lot of atrocities in my career, but I've never seen anyone put through what he's been put through. How can he come back from this? Especially after what he went through with Sidorov?" His eyes were turbulent, filled with emotion. "I mean, he didn't recognize any of us when we got to him; not even Kensi. I swear, I'm going to find that bastard if it's the last thing I do on this earth!"

Nell's heart ached for the feelings of guilt she knew Callen was experiencing. He might appear to everyone as a solitary person with a heart of stone, but he was completely different than that once you got through his walls. He didn't let people get close to him often, but when he did, they became family. He took harm to his 'family' very seriously. He always felt like he should have somehow known and been able to protect them. He wasn't Superman, but sometimes she felt he put an insurmountable burden on himself to be infallible. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear "He'll be fine. He's back now and no-one will get to him again. You, Sam and Kensi will make sure of that. And when we find the bastard, Hetty is ready is eviscerate him. I've seen her holding her letter opener and I think she's got plans for the man."

Nell's last words brought a small smile to Callen's face and he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss. "You always know what to say to make things better little spider."

He pulled her into a tight hug and put his head on the top of hers. "Let's go to bed. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."

"What about tonight?"

"I have plans for you tonight. I'm planning on making you scream for me, little spider."

Nell shivered. She knew what things he had planned. He'd made her scream in pleasure on more than one occasion. "I can't wait." she whispered.


	18. Chapter 17: Deeks Uncovered

Thanks to everyone who left reviews. I've answered everyone I could. To my guest reviewers thanks so much for letting me know what you think.

To my Spanish reviewer: Gracias por tus amables palabras. Me alegro de que todavía está disfrutando de la historia .

To my French reviewer: Your English was fine. Thanks so much for your kind words.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

Nherbie rocks!

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 17 - Deeks Uncovered

Ivan called Harry and Jimmy to meet him at the new location he had set up. When they arrived, he was still in a rage because Deeks had gotten away from him, but thankfully, he was directing it towards the detective at the moment. Both men watched their boss closely hoping and praying neither one of them would become the target of his anger. Lee was pacing the floor muttering to himself as he tried to come up with a plan to get Deeks back. He was determined he would find a way to get to him again to finish what he had started. He was too close to getting his revenge to stop now. When he finally had the beginnings of a plan, he sent Harry to find out what hospital Deeks had been taken to as soon as he saw him surrounded by his team. Harry promised to report back as soon as he knew anything. "Check the closest hospitals to where he was found first. Don't come back until you find him."

As Harry left, Lee turned to Jimmy. "Here's some money and a list of things I want. Go to different stores to get the items on the list and bring them back to me."

"Sure boss." Jimmy grabbed the list and left.

Harry checked out the first two hospitals on his list with no luck but hit pay dirt while checking out the third one that evening. At each hospital, he acted like he was looking for a friend to try and blend in with the other people who came and went. He would ask one or more nurses if they had seen his friend, telling the nurse his friend's name was Deeks and describe him. No one he talked to knew of anyone named Deeks who had been admitted. He was getting more and more frustrated as time went on. He decided to go to the next hospital on his list when he heard the words "cop and ICU. _"Maybe they're talking about Deeks. I hope so; I'm tired of looking for him."_ He sidled closer to the two nurses who were talking and discretely eavesdropped.

~,~,~

Amy Sullivan had only been a nurse for a little over three years. She was a good nurse, but she was also a dreamer and was hoping to find her 'Prince Charming" at work. She was on duty in the ER when Deeks was first brought in. She could tell he was a good looking man even through all the dirt and grime he was covered in and that opinion was reinforced as she helped the other nurse remove the dirt and grime from his body, revealing the damage that had been done to him. As the doctors were examining the patient, his eyes had snapped open and he began fighting them. He was looking for Kensi or Sam and when he couldn't see either of them he panicked and began fighting harder. Amy stood there dumbfounded as she lost herself thinking about the gorgeous ocean-blue eyes she had seen. She felt little sparks run up and down her body as her imagination took over. It took her a second or so before she was once again the competent nurse she was supposed to be and moved to help the trauma team keep the patient from hurting himself further. They finally had to restrain Marty to keep him from trying to get away from them which didn't please him at all. He calmed down once the doctors administered a mild sedative allowing them to finish with the exam and release the restraints. As soon as he was admitted, Amy got permission to take her break. Wasting no time at all, she tracked down her best friend, then proceeded to tell her all about the gorgeous man she had just seen.

"Mary, he had the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen." she sighed rapturously. "He was gorgeous, I could tell; even through all the dirt and grime he was covered with. His name is Andrew Martin and I heard he's a cop. No one would say anything about what happened to him, but he's been severely beaten and drugged. The doctors were surprised he survived with the amount of drugs in his system. He's in critical condition, but the doctors think he'll recover. He was sent up to ICU right away. I can't wait until he gets moved to a regular room. I'm determined to be one of his nurses. Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll be the one for me." She sighed again as she continued to daydream about her handsome prince.

"Amy, not this again! You do this every time a good looking man is admitted to the hospital. When are you going to learn, girl? He probably already has a girlfriend. Guys like that are never single and alone; you know that. How many times has this type of thing happened to you? You get your hopes up only to have them dashed when you find out the guy is already in a relationship."

Amy sighed again. "You're probably right. There was this tall brunette that came in with him. She wasn't allowed in the trauma room; she looked like a model and she was staring into the room as if she wanted to barge in there to be next to him. Oh well, a girl can dream can't she? Come on, let's go grab a snack, I only have 10 minutes left of my break."

"Now you're talking girl. I'm starving."

After listening to the two women, Harry was positive he'd found Deeks. The nurse's description of the cop and his injuries was too close to what had been done to Deeks by Ivan to be a coincidence. It had to be him. He found a directory of the hospital showing him where the ICU was, and went there to see if he could find out what room the cop was in. He wasn't able to get closed to the room to make an identification, but he did see the brunette standing in front of the door to one of the rooms. After seeing her, he knew Deeks was in the room. He noted the number of the room then left the hospital and called his boss.

Ivan grabbed his cell phone the moment it rang. He was staying at his mother's old house in Studio City waiting for information on where Deeks had been taken. Before that, he had spent time setting up the new place to take Deeks when he had him again. He answered the phone hoping for good news when he saw Harry's number come up. "What did you find out Harry?"

"Boss, Deeks is at Cedars-Sinai. The drugs you gave him and the beatings almost killed him but he's supposed to recover. He's in the ICU right now under an alias, but I heard some nurses talking about a cop that was brought in. I'm sure it's him. The description of him and his injuries are spot on. I don't think we're going to be able to get close to him until he's in a regular room though. I did hear someone say they'll be moving him to a regular room tomorrow or the next day if he continues to improve."

"Keep an eye out and let me know as soon as he's moved out of ICU and what room he gets taken to."

Ivan hung up the phone then began anticipating getting his hands on Deeks again. In a way he was glad he was going to survive. It would make it that much more fulfilling for him to start all over again in breaking him down because he could take longer torturing him before killing him and he wanted nothing more than for Deeks to suffer…for a very long time. He was determined to make him beg for his own death before granting it to him.

~,~,~

Marty had fallen asleep while his doctor was talking to Hetty and the team and was still asleep as Kensi pulled a chair up to the side of his bed. She sat there watching him, determined to fight for him until he was well enough to fight for himself. She wasn't about to let him pull away from everyone to try to lick his wounds in private this time; no, this time she was going to be right by his side through it all. She wasn't going to let him push her away. She wouldn't let him give up…not after he fought so hard for so long to get away from that madman. He meant too much to her. They were finally together though it had taken them years to act on their 'thing' and it was more than she ever thought possible. Oh she'd known from the beginning how much trouble she was in where Marty Deeks was concerned but she never thought in a thousand years it would lead to them being together.

The first time she saw him standing there in that gym looking like a temperamental angel, she'd felt chills run through her body. And then the way he had kept getting in her face and seeing right through her had infuriated her. There was something about his blond hair and tanned body that got to her, even though she thought there was something 'hinky' about him. Sam and Callen had been right when they had teased her about his 'baby blues' and 'fluffy hair. They'd gone on to tease her about being 'stuck, smitten, whatever'.

It hadn't gotten any easier when he became the liaison. The way he looked at her, all the cheesy nicknames he had no trouble bestowing on her…it drove her crazy half the time and the other half of the time, she wanted to grab him and kiss him senseless. She had wasted so much time denying her feelings for him out of fear that he would leave her. She'd been afraid to acknowledge the truth when he kept saying he would never willingly do so. Why she had been so afraid, she couldn't imagine now. He had proven on too many occasions that he meant exactly what he had said so long ago when he told her he would always be there for her.

She wanted to see the look in his eyes again like when he had them fixed on her face and body the morning before he was abducted. Yes, she usually called him a 'perv' when she caught him practically drooling, but deep down she knew it was more than that. He wasn't some jerk undressing her with his eyes or some prick trying to add another notch to his bedpost by getting into her pants. With Marty, the look in his eyes told her he was worshiping her. His eyes would darken to a stormy blue and a small smile would be tugging at his lips, then he would say something like "God Kens…you're gorgeous." in that low husky voice and it got to her…it got to her every single time sending shivers down her body almost like little electrical shocks. She was used to men calling her sexy or hot, but when he called her gorgeous or beautiful, he meant so much more than other men. She could see it in his eyes, his stance and the look on his face.

~,~,~

Kensi was dozing in the chair holding Deeks' hand when Lt. Bates arrived to see the condition of his detective with his own eyes. He stood outside the door looking at Deeks and could feel rage building up in his body over his detective's condition. He took several deep breaths before pushing the door open and moving into the room.

Kensi woke with a start when she heard the door open. She jumped up pulling her gun and pointing it at the man filling the doorway before she realized who was there.

"Whoa there Agent Blye, don't shoot. It's me, Lt. Bates." He had his hands out to his sides trying to show her he was harmless. It took a few seconds before Kensi responded.

"Sorry Lt. Bates, I was dozing. I guess you startled me." She put her gun back in her waistband at the small of her back. "I wasn't expecting anyone to show up this evening. I'm a little jumpy right now."

"It's understandable. How's he doing?"

"He's exhausted but can only seem to sleep for a few minutes at a time before the pain wakes him up. He'll look around the room in fear until he sees and recognizes me. He doesn't really remember me except from the ambulance, but it's enough to calm him down. A few minutes later he'll be asleep again. I wish he could sleep for several hours at a time, but at least the intervals are slowly getting longer. He needs his rest."

"Has he remembered anything about his abduction yet?"

"Not really, but then I haven't asked him anything either. I don't want to upset him. The doctor says his memories will come back as the drugs are flushed from his system. I'm willing to wait for that to happen before making him try to remember what he's gone through."

As they were talking, Marty once again woke up. He looked over at her, glad to see she was still there and then noticed the man in the room with them. He gasped, looking for a way to get out of the bed and away from the stranger. Kensi saw the movement and grabbed his hand. "It's okay Deeks. This man is your boss, Lt Bates. He's not going to hurt you, I promise."

He looked at her; his eyes a troubled blue, once again filled with fear. "I don't recognize him. Are you sure he won't hurt me?"

"I'm sure. He came by to see how you're doing."

Marty looked at her for the longest time trying to decide if she was telling the truth. Everything he could see in her mismatched eyes told him he could trust her. He then looked at Lt. Bates and with a tentative smile spoke. "Hullo. Kensi says you're my boss. Nice mustache you've got going there, by the way."

"Yep, it's you all right. The same smart-ass as always. How are you feeling?" Bates wouldn't admit it to Kensi but he was glad to hear any kind of smart remark from Deeks at the moment. After what he had gone through, Lt. Bates wasn't sure he would ever get back to the man he was before, but the comment about his mustache made him realize Deeks was still in there somewhere and gave him confidence that he would recover.

Marty was now officially confused. The man in front of him was supposed to be his boss, but hadn't he just called him a smart-ass? What kind of boss does that? He didn't think Lt. Bates was mad at him, but then he didn't remember him either, so had no frame of reference to rely on. "I'm okay. Tired…sore; my ribs are the worst."

"That's to be expected Deeks. Take care of yourself and listen to your partner. She knows what she's doing."

"I figured that out. She's tough, that I know." His eyes lit up a little as he looked at Kensi while saying it and her heart skipped a beat or two in relief at the way he looked and sounded.

The three of them talked quietly for a while; well mostly Kensi and Bates did the talking, but Marty chimed in occasionally. When he had been quiet for a while, Lt. Bates glanced over at him to see if he was okay and found him sleeping again.

He nodded his head toward Deeks and whispered to Kensi. "I guess our conversation bored him to sleep." He could be a wise-ass himself on occasion. "I'll be going. Tell him I expect him to be back at work once he's ready. His job will be waiting for him."

"I'll let him know."

"You take care of him and yourself now, you hear me?" He growled good-naturedly at her.

"Aye, aye Sir!" She saluted him with a grin on her face.

"I see Deeks is rubbing off on you. Just what I need…two smart-asses to deal with!" He was smiling as he said it.

~,~,~

Marty had finally been sleeping for more than a few minutes when his first nightmare began. He started twitching in his sleep, then moving restlessly. As the nightmare progressed, the terror he was feeling increased. The nightmare he was experiencing was a mashup of the times before when he had been hurt; along with flashes of the torture he had been through during the previous two weeks. The images invading his mind caused him to begin screaming, waking himself with a start, looking wildly around the room in panic because he didn't immediately remember where he was or how he got there. He saw the IV line attached to his arm and reached over to rip it out, but Kensi's voice stopped him. "Hey there sleepyhead. It's okay Marty, you're safe. It was just a nightmare." She touched his arm as she was speaking. Looking at her, seeing her face, even though he didn't really remember her, gave him a feeling of peace he wasn't going to question. He quit trying to rip out the IV and leaned back against the pillow looking at her without saying a word. He wanted to say something; he kept opening his mouth to voice his thoughts, but then didn't know what he wanted to say so he would close it again.

Kensi saw the confusion on his face and heard the rapid breaths he was taking. She could tell he was upset and scared and wanted to say something so she waited patiently. After several minutes of watching him try to express himself, she slipped her hand into his, placed a light kiss on his forehead then ruffled his hair. "You're looking much better than you were earlier. The nap did you some good even with the nightmare. How are you feeling?"

"Um…okay?" He blushed slightly as he brushed his hand across his forehead where she had kissed him. _"Did she just kiss me? Really? And she's holding my hand. I…I like it; it's nice."_

"You looked like you wanted to say something earlier. Have you remembered something?"

He looked at their intertwined hands once again in confusion and then looked up at her concentrating on her face. "I…I don't know what I wanted to say…I…why am I here? This is a hospital, right? What happened to me?"

"Yes Marty, this is a hospital. You've been hurt and you were in bad shape when we found you, but you're getting better all the time."

He pulled his hand from hers and starting running both of them through his hair. He was still confused but he wanted answers. "But what happened to me? I know you. I do don't I? I…feel like I know you, but I…I can't seem to…to find the memories so to speak. They keep slipping out of my grasp if you get my meaning. What's your real name? I know you told me you're Kensi, but it feels like you should have a different name, like I call you something other than Kensi." He frowned a little as he tried to remember something, anything about the woman in from of him. "Wait a minute…I think…let me think…your name is…that is, I think I call you…I don't know why…but I think…do I ever call you Fern?" he asked.

~,~,~


	19. Chapter 18: Watching Over Deeks

I can't believe I have over 200 reviews for this story. You guys are awesome! Thanks to everyone who is following this story especially the last chapter which includes AdrianaDricks, Beststoriesever, sassyzazzi, Caroline, Cheryl, Jackie, Marcy, onnkp and Hoosier65 for chapter 17.

To my Spanish reviewer: Me alegro de que estés disfrutando de la historia. Gracias por tus amables palabras.

To my French reviewer: Je suis heureux que vous continuez à profiter de l'histoire . Si je comprends bien , vous demandez ce que « fougère » signifie ? Il est pour l'usine et a été le premier surnom Deeks a Kensi . Je suis d'accord avec vous, si Deeks a donné Sam et Callen surnoms , il aurait probablement les obtenir à partir de " Men in Black " .

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

As always, Nherbie has improved this chapter tremendously!

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 18 - Watching Over Deeks

"…do I ever call you Fern?" he asked.

~,~,~

Kensi burst into relieved laughter which startled Marty badly causing excruciating pain to radiate throughout his body. He squeezed his eyes shut; concentrating on riding out the waves of pain coursing through him. His hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white while a single tear slipped down his face from the pain he was in.

"Oh Marty, I'm sorry. Breathe…just breathe…that's it…it will be better in a minute. She quickly brought her laughter under control as she explained. "You're starting to remember some things and that's good. That's really good. My name _is_ Kensi, but you're always thinking up cheesy nicknames for me. 'Fern' is the first nickname you ever gave me. You've got a long list of them and are always coming up with new ones." She was stroking his arm lightly trying to help ease his pain as she talked.

As the pain began to subside, he was able to reply. "Really? I call you Fern? Really? Then I remembered something, ummm…okay then. What other names have I given you?" he asked with a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm not telling you all of them! You're going to have to remember them on your own."

"Aw, come on Fern! Please tell me what other names I call you. It might shake some memories loose." He wasn't above pleading with her to find out anything more about the two of them. The nicknames he called her would be a start.

"No, I'm not going to tell you them."

"Please…at least tell me a few of them." He didn't realize it, but he had tilted his head and was looking at her through his bangs. She'd always had trouble resisting him when he got that puppy dog look in his eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you two of them. You also call me Sunshine and your Ladybird."

He looked down at his hands lying in his lap and then back up at her. "I like those names, and they're not cheesy. But why do I feel so thick-headed? My memory feels blurry, out of focus in a way…I mean, I get these flashes, but they confuse me…and I hurt, everywhere." He then repeated himself. "This is a hospital, right? What happened to me, Fern?"

"Tell me the last thing you remember. Let's start there."

Marty's hand came up and brushed against his cheek in nervousness as he concentrated on remembering something…anything. All he could remember was pain, an unknown man, his father's voice and terror. "I remember a man…a bad man…he was hurting me…and he enjoyed it, but I don't know why." Nothing else came to him and he felt the beginnings of panic. He grabbed his hair, tugging on it as his heart rate sped up and he began panting once again. Kensi looked over to see the monitors for his heart rate and breathing speed up and she knew his vitals were getting out of control.

"Hey, look at me. It's okay." she implored him. "Don't worry if you can't remember anything right now. You've suffered a concussion. Memory problems can be a side-effect. And you were drugged repeatedly which doesn't help. The drugs you were given can also cause memory problems. The doctor said once the drugs are out of your system and you've recovered a little more, you'll start remembering things." She gently took his hand back in hers as she brushed his hair away from his forehead. "Try to go back to sleep, okay? You're still exhausted and in pain. Sleep is the best thing for you right now."

"I am tired…I'm so tired…but Kensi…" he looked away from her lifting his hand to his face again without realizing it. He didn't want her to see how frightened he was but the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. "…I'm afraid to sleep…the nightmares…I know I'll have nightmares. Or…or what if that man comes back to get me? I don't think I can take any more…at least not yet. I just can't. I'm not strong enough. Promise you'll stay with me? _Please_ don't leave me." He looked like a lost, scared, little boy as he begged her to stay with him. "I don't…I don't want to be alone. He's coming for me, I know it."

She leaned down and tried to reassure him. "I'm right here and I'm staying here to keep you safe. I'm not leaving. We're partners and that's what we do; we protect each other and have each other's back. You've always protected me, always. Let me protect you for once. I promise I'll be here all night keeping watch over you while you rest. And Marty, you are strong. You're one of the strongest men I've ever known. If you weren't, you wouldn't have made it through the last two weeks. I'm so proud of you." She began threading her fingers through his hair again and humming a lullaby her mother used to sing to her as he relaxed and slumped bonelessly into the bed all the while watching her. Before too long she could tell he was losing his battle to stay awake. He was fighting sleep, but his eyes would close before slowly opening again. The time between closing his eyes and then re-opening them grew longer until within a few more minutes his breathing evened out and he was asleep.

~,~,~

Kensi was true to her word and watched over him throughout the night. She sat beside his bed, holding his hand while giving thanks that he was here with her instead of still missing and being tortured. She knew him well enough to know that he would experience the nightmares he was dreading because of the ordeal he'd been through. She was determined to wake him whenever a nightmare started to overtake him to spare him from them as much as possible.

As she feared, his sleep wasn't very restful. Each time he was in the middle of another nightmare or disturbing fragment of memory it would result in low moans, then softly murmured words as he relived some of what he had gone through.

"Mmm…you…you prick. Don't know you…what'd I ever do to you?…no…noooo…hrrzs…but won't let mm know…won't say a wurrd…"

Kensi was sometimes able to wake him softly when he was in the throes of the nightmare by lightly brushing her hands over his arms and humming to him. At other times he jerked awake when the pain from his wounds flared up, from the ongoing after-effects of the drugs he had been given during his captivity or from more fragments of memories and old nightmares that continuously invaded his mind. Each time he jerked awake, he would look around the room in confusion and fear. And each time she would squeeze the fingers of the hand she was holding to get his attention. It worked every time; he would look over at her at first not remembering who she was, then he would sigh with relief "Fern, you're still here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else Marty. Go back to sleep and rest. No one is going to get to you through me. You're safe."

He tried to hide his fear every time he woke up, but the wary look in his crystal-blue eyes betrayed him…every single time. She pretended not to notice and would smile while saying something like "Hi there, back among the living again I see." His eyes would light up slightly and a small grin would grace his face momentarily. If she could get that smile from him, she felt like she had won a small battle against the darkness and knew he was doing better. Each slight smile lifted a little of the fear and worry that had been building up in her heart during the longest two weeks of her life.

She had to keep reminding herself that he was here with her now and getting better. She'd been so fearful the entire time he was gone that she would never see him alive again; she had to keep pinching herself to make sure she was awake and not dreaming. Watching him being beaten and tortured had devastated her. She couldn't have been in more pain if it had been done to her. But he was here now, with her and she was determined to protect him with every fiber of her being. He didn't deserve what he had been through and until he could protect himself she'd do it for him. Gladly. He was always there for her whenever she needed him and she was going to be here for him now.

~,~,~

Marty jerked awake that first night more times than Kensi could count. She was exhausted when she finally gave in and pulled the recliner the nurses had thoughtfully provided for her as close to his bed as possible. She put the hard chair back against the wall and stretched out in the recliner in an attempt to relax. She covered herself with a blanket then reached out and took his hand again. _"I've got you Marty, I've got your back. Sleep peacefully. You need your sleep to heal. I'll be right here with you all night long. You're safe with me That monster can't hurt you anymore. None of us will let him anywhere near you. Sleep now, only good dreams, okay?"_

As she began drifting off to sleep, thoughts of the last 12 days floated through her mind. She remembered how worried she had been; how angry the sight of him being beaten had made her and how happy she'd been when he'd been found. She remembered the worry again when she saw the bruises, slashes and track marks on his body; his hallucinations and how frightened he was of everyone and everything around him. She shuddered at the memory of his ribs showing so prominently through the skin of his abdomen when she finally saw him in person again.

Looking at him in bed, she once again noticed how sunken his eyes were, with huge bruises and dark circles around them. He was so thin his jaw line and cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut paper while his shoulder blades jutted out from his back almost as if they were going to tear through the skin. He looked nothing like his normal self. Where before he was lean but glowing with good health and vitality, now he looked like a famine victim that a good breeze would blow away. His tan was long gone and his hair was still limp even after being washed by the nurses. His scruff was gone; shaved off by the nurses in the ER so they could stitch up the more serious cuts and contusions. He looked years younger with a clean-shaven face.

He smelled better now that he had been cleaned up, but he still didn't smell like himself. There was no scent of sand and saltwater combined with his deodorant which gave him such a unique scent. She loved the way he normally smelled, but right now he smelled like disinfectant. _"I'll never forgive that monster for what he did to you. You didn't deserve any of it. You are so strong, so much stronger than anyone gives you credit for but I don't know how you survived to come back to me. I know you're having trouble remembering things right now…me…us…our relationship, but just give it some time. You've been through the wringer. I can't wait to get hold of the asshole who did this to you. I've got my gun and my Sayoc knife and I plan on using them both. I want to make him suffer a little bit of what you've gone through. He's going to be sorry he ever hurt you! But I'm so tired right now I need sleep. I'm so thankful you're back with me where you belong. No one is going to hurt you again; I promise you that!"_

She continued planning what she would do to Lee when he was found as she slipped into sleep, still holding his hand.

~,~,~

Sam walked into Deeks' hospital room at 6:00 the next morning finding Kensi asleep in the chair with Deeks' hand in hers. The room was dim in the early morning light but Sam could see that he was becoming restless. Before he could do anything about it though, Kensi woke with a start; immediately leaning forward to comb her hands through his hair. "Shhh Marty, shhh, rest. You're safe. I'm here with you." The younger man immediately quit moving in his sleep. Sam took a good long look at both of the people in front of him marveling at how close they'd become.

"Hey Kensi. How's he doing?" Sam whispered.

Kensi hadn't heard Sam come in so she startled a little. "He's been having nightmares, but that's to be expected. Overall, he's doing better."

"Good…that's good to hear." Sam looked at the younger man for the longest time in silence then looked back at Kensi "Go home and get some sleep. You need it. Monty is being taken well care of and Deeks is going to need you later today. I'm here now and I'll watch over him for you."

She turned and glared at Sam. If he thought she was going to leave her partner, he had another think coming. However, before she could make a retort, he continued "And don't glare at me. You know I'm not afraid of you and you're not going to be any good for him if you collapse. You know that. Come back this afternoon after you've slept and had something to eat…something nutritious _not_ junk food." He shook his finger at her as he mentioned 'junk food'.

Kensi protested "But I'm fine…I mean I'm good. And I've been sleeping. This chair is comfortable. Besides, I can't leave; I promised him I would stay here and keep him safe."

Sam saw the mutinous look on her face, "Don't argue with me Kensi. Go get something to eat and take a nap. Like I said, you're no good to him if you collapse."

"No! I'm staying here Sam! I need to be here! You can't _make_ me leave!"

Sam could tell she was adamant about staying and wasn't going to listen to him, so he played his trump card "You're right; _I_ can't make you leave, but I can always call Hetty and get her to make it an order if you don't want to see reason."

Kensi opened her mouth several times while glaring at him, trying to say something, anything to change his mind but finally gave it up as a lost cause. "Fine! Be that way. I'll be back this afternoon…after I have that nap you think I need and I talk to Hetty, of course. You better take real good care of him Sam; or else…you'll be sorry when I get hold of you." She walked to the door of Marty's room, then turned one more time and glared at him "I mean it Sam! We just got him back. And don't upset him with a bunch of questions either."

"Don't worry Kensi. I'll take care of him. I know what kind of man he is. He's a good cop and a good agent. He can be a pain in my ass, but he's grown on me. Kind of like fungus or mold." He grinned, his dimples deepening, then walked over to the door and pulled her into a big hug. He whispered into her hair, "He's safe with me. I'll watch over him, I promise. I've got his back, you know that. No one is going to get to him. They'd have to go through me first and you know that won't happen."

"Thanks." She returned Sam's hug, taking comfort in the feel of his strong arms around her. She took one last long look back at Deeks before turning and reluctantly leaving his room.

~,~,~

A few minutes after she left, Marty jerked awake once again. As he did every time he woke up, he looked for her, but this time she wasn't there. The thought that she'd left him after promising not to hurt for some reason. He couldn't figure out why, but it did. He wondered where she was. As he was looking around the room for her, he noticed a large black man sitting in the chair she had been in when he fell asleep. He eyed him with trepidation then asked timidly. "Who are you?"

"Hey Deeks, remember me? I'm Sam. Sam Hanna. You and I work together."

"We do? Really?"

Sam chuckled "Yes, really. We've been working together for over five years now."

"Where's Kensi?" He frowned when he still could't see her anywhere in the room. "She said she'd stay with me but she's gone. I…I don't remember you."

"Don't worry about it. I sent Kensi home to eat and take a nap. She didn't want to go, but I made her. She's going to get something to eat and take a nap. She'll be back this afternoon. You do know you're lucky you're not dead don't you? I'm sorry it took so long for us to find you."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't hurt me did you?" He was now officially confused. He couldn't for the life of himself remember the man in front of him and if he was honest with himself, he intimidated him somewhat he was so huge.

"No I'm not the one who hurt you. I'm sorry you had to go through two weeks of hell. I'm glad you're getting better because it would make me very angry if you weren't."

Deeks looked slightly worried when he asked "Why?"

"Why? Because you're my friend and my co-worker. We're supposed to watch out for each other but the whole team let you down." Sam watched him struggling to stay awake and finally interjected. "Deeks, go to sleep. I'm not going anywhere until Kensi gets back. I'll make sure no one hurts you."

He let out a little huff, but replied "Okay…dad." He relaxed against his pillows and was asleep in minutes.

~,~,~

When Marty woke the next time, light was spilling into his room with the warm rays of the sun dancing across his face like kisses. Sam was still there, sitting next to his bed reading a wine magazine. He was finding it very difficult to get comfortable but didn't want to draw any attention to himself. Every time he moved, one or more of his injuries would explode with pain. He had the headache from hell while his back ached continually, interspersed with sharp radiating pain from all the cuts on it, but whenever he tried to lie on his side, the movement aggravated the bruising and damage to his ribs causing excruciating pain. He couldn't lay on his stomach for the same reason.

Sam noticed him squirming in bed and asked "What's wrong Deeks?"

Deeks jerked at the sound of Sam's voice, unable to keep from groaning, then looked at him like a deer in headlights before stammering "Uhh…nothing…nothing. I'm fine. Just trying to stretch a little bit." His memories of Sam were still nonexistent; making him feel intimidated by the very large man sitting next to his bed even though he had been very kind when Marty woke up earlier. In fact, he admitted to himself he was afraid of Sam, but he didn't know why and wasn't about to let him see his fear.

"You still don't remember me, do you?" Sam could tell that Deeks was uncomfortable with him so close so moved the chair back away from the bed a little bit to give him more room. "Do you remember what I told you before you took your nap?

"You said I was a friend and a co-worker…Umm…if that's true, why don't I remember you? I should remember my friends shouldn't I?"

"What did the doctor and Kensi tell you?"

Deeks looked down in embarrassment as he whispered "It's because of all the drugs in my system. I forgot."

"Don't worry about it and don't feel embarrassed. The drugs really messed with your head and the concussion's not helping, but soon the drugs will be out of your system and you'll remember everyone. You have nothing to worry about from me. You saved my wife's life a while back and I'm in your debt."

Deeks looked at him in surprise while touching his face with his hand. "I…I did, really? I saved her life…really? Why can't I…I should remember something like that." He was clearly disappointed by not remembering and Sam watched the varied emotions flickering across his face as he tried to process everything he'd learned from him.

"Well, gee Deeks, I don't know. It might have something to do with the concussion you have along with the amount of drugs that were forced into you, don't you think." Sam was smiling by this time because Deeks was exhibiting many of his unique quirks. He knew it meant the real Deeks was still in there somewhere, just unreachable at the moment. "So what's really going on with you?"

Deeks looked down at the bed, touched his face again with his fingers and ran his hands through his hair nervously before looking at Sam through his bangs. "Umm…I can't…I can't get comfortable." he finally admitted. "It feels like there's a brass band playing in my head and I hurt everywhere…whenever I try to move something hurts." He was ashamed at how needy he sounded and began picking at the blanket covering him. Anything to avoid looking at Sam. He was afraid to look at him for fear he would see pity and disappointment in his face, but when he finally screwed up his courage to look all he saw was sympathy and understanding. He got a flash of another hospital room with Sam standing in front of him at the foot of his bed. "Wait…I remember something…I think. It…it was another room…a hospital room too. You were in… in scrubs and standing in…in front of me. You were thanking me for something, but I can't remember what." He shook his head, but stopped as the pain intensified. "I hate feeling like this, I hate it!"

"Deeks, don't get upset about it. Your memory is already getting clearer. You did see me in scrubs once. It was when I was thanking you for saving Michelle's life. Michelle's my wife."

"Seriously? You mean I actually remembered something real? Okay then…" He brushed his hair off his forehead. "…that's good, remembering something has to be a good sign, right?"


	20. Chapter 19: Another Hallucination

Nherbie, you deserve an award for being my awesome beta on this story. You're a class act and have improved my writing immensely!

Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show more's the pity! If I did, there would be lots more Marty Deeks. I only own my original characters which in this story include Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

To the Australian guest reviewer who mentioned the story has elements that don't appear in or follow the show. You're right. I wrote my story "Who is Marty Deeks" before we found out that Deeks' mother was still alive and he was in touch with her. All we knew at that time was that Hetty became his next of kin when he got shot. Since the character of Samuel Deeks is from that story, and I'm using him here, this story is also AU. I've chosen to have Kensi call Deeks Marty in their more private lives. You also asked where I got the name O'Shea. Here in the United States, it's a more common Irish name and I've heard it all my life.

 **To all of my reviewers** , thanks so much for taking the time to let me know what you think. Virtual ice cream sundaes for all of you! Mochas gracias for sis commentaries tipo. and Merci beaucoup pour votre avis genre.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 19 - Another Hallucination

"Seriously? You mean I actually remembered something real? Okay then…" He brushed his hair off his forehead. "…that's good, remembering something has to be good, right?"

~,~,~

"Right. Now let's see if we can get you in a more comfortable position, okay?"

"Okay." he timidly agreed.

After much trial and error on both their parts, they found that raising the head of the bed and propping Deeks up with pillows on both sides as he lay partially on his back and partially on his side, relieved some of the pain; or at least it made it more tolerable. Even as little effort as it took to get him re-situated in bed wore him out and before he realized it, he was sleeping again.

~,~,~

Deeks woke up next when lunch came, but all it consisted of was a small glass of milk, a cup of jello and some light soup. He looked at the tray, frowned at Sam, then looked back at the tray in dismay and whined. "This is all I get to eat, really? But, I'm hungry Sam. I'm a growing boy."

His nurse looked at him and bluntly told him "That's what's been ordered for you Mr. Martin." then turned on her heel and left the room.

"Mean nurse…mean, mean nurse…she's worse than Nurse Ratched in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' Why is she even a nurse if she's not going to help people?" he grumbled to himself before turning his sad-looking eyes to Sam.

"She's mean Sam. And why did she call me 'Mr. Martin'? I thought my name was Marty Deeks."

"It is. You were admitted to the hospital under an alias so you'd be safe."

"Oh…because he's still out there isn't he? Okay then, I guess I understand that. But I'm hungry Sam, and look at this tray. She didn't bring me enough food to feed an infant."

Sam was pretty sure that Deeks wouldn't be able to finish what was in front of him after being starved for the last two weeks. "Tell you what. You finish everything that's in front of you and I'll bet you'll be full."

"You sure about that?"

"Yep."

"Really…really?" Deeks wasn't sure he believed Sam, he was so hungry. He began eating the jello and soup, taking sips of the milk in between bites, but had to stop after he had consumed only half of what was on his tray. He leaned back against the pillows looking at the food still on his tray and sighed in resignation. "I can't believe I'm already full. Will you bring me a snack for later?"

"I'm not allowed to. You're on a restricted diet."

"Well isn't that just peachy." he grumbled. He turned his head and looked out the window in silence. Sam waited for him to say something else, but the silence stretched out uncomfortably. He wasn't talking and a silent Deeks worried the hell out of Sam.

Sam knew he was upset but wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to be the one to tell him about the danger of refeeding syndrome, but unless he could get the doctor to come in and soon, he would because he didn't want Deeks shutting down as he had after Sidorov. He knew that all of them would be spending time with NCIS-approved therapists to come to terms with what had happened to their liaison and what each one of them had felt as they watched him being tortured. But that was in the future and he didn't want Deeks to pull away from everyone right now.

He paged the nurse but when she still hadn't shown up after 15 minutes, he decided she wasn't coming which meant that the doctor wouldn't be coming either. He took a couple of minutes to get his thoughts in order and then tried getting the younger man's attention. "Deeks…hey Deeks, come on look at me." Sam waited but it appeared that either he was ignoring him, hadn't heard him because he was lost in his memories or had already started shutting down.

It took several more tries before Sam got a response.

"Deeks!"

Sam saw him jerk and then hiss in pain, wrapping his arms around his ribs. "Damn that hurts." He took breaths as deep as possible without causing more pain while waiting for the pain currently running through his body to dissipate before replying. "What?"

"Sorry man, I didn't mean to cause you any pain. It's just that I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now. Where were you?"

"Huh?" Deeks was perplexed. "What do you mean were was I? Seriously…where would I be? I'm right here."

"I mean what were you thinking? You seemed lost in your own world."

"Oh."

Sam watched as he ran his hands through his hair, touched his cheek and then began picking at the blanket. He could tell the younger man was unsettled about something but knew if he didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't. He would try to re-direct the conversation using quips, smart remarks and his wit without actually answering the question. "You want to talk about whatever is bothering you?"

"I was…I was thinking about everything that's happened to me. I keep getting these flashes you know?…of …of memories I think…but they're all jumbled up. I'm not sure what's real and what's not. Nothing makes sense." He sighed. "I don't want to talk about it right now. I need to get it straight in my head first. Is that okay?" He looked at Sam with the question in his eyes.

"Sure, we don't have to talk about it right now. But I expect you to talk to me once you have it all straight. Believe it or not, it will help to talk about it with someone. If you don't want to talk to me, talk to Kensi. I have something I do need to tell you though. It's about why you're on a restricted diet." Sam began explaining. "The doctor is being very careful with your diet because you're in danger of something called refeeding syndrome."

It took a minute or so before Deeks said anything and once again it was in the form of a question. "What's that?" He was confused and it showed on his face.

Sam explained everything the doctor had told them when he had first been admitted to the hospital. By the time he was finished, Deeks once again looked completely done in. After a couple of minutes of silence he asked "So I have to take it slowly on the food, but I get small meals throughout the day?"

"That's right; if you don't take it slowly, eating too much too soon after being starved can cause all kinds of problems. The doctor wants to avoid any complications to your recovery. I promise you, before too long, you'll be back eating your regular foods. How about I call Kensi and tell her that once you can have it, to bring you a snack. She knows what your favorite foods are."

"Okay. So…um…Kensi. I remember her…at least a little…she's my partner, I know that…and I guess she's my girlfriend…at least I think that's what she said before." He glanced at Sam momentarily then looked away as he continued. "She's hot…I mean, she's gorgeous…her eyes are amazing and her legs go on forever…oh shit…don't tell her I said that…I don't want her mad at me…I mean…or…what if she thinks I'm a slime ball or a pervert. Oh God, she does doesn't she? I…I mean I don't know what she sees in me anyway. I'm just a cop, right? I am really a cop though, right? That's what I heard someone say anyway."

He looked up at Sam with troubled eyes as he continued. "But if I'm a cop, what am I doing working with you guys? I'm not an agent like you am I?…No that can't be true…so what do I do with you guys? I must not have the same type of training you do so what good am I? What does she see in me? I'm nothing special…maybe she's lying to me…that must be it…I'm an idiot to think she likes me. Oh God, what if she's being nice because she pities me? What if she's just trying to make me feel better?" He bumped his head against his pillow in frustration.

"Slow down Deeks! You're babbling."

"Am not!" came the indignant response as his face starting flaming with embarrassment.

Sam smirked. "Yes you are. Kensi loves you. You two have had a 'thing' since the day you first met."

"Really? You're not shitting me are you? Why don't I…hell! I should remember something like that. Damn it, it's so frustrating!" He grabbed his hair and tugged.

"We've had this conversation before. What has everyone been telling you?"

He glanced at Sam again with a sigh and recited what both Sam and Kensi had told him before. "That it's because of the concussion and all the drugs. I know that. But…I…I shouldn't have a problem remembering details about Kensi. She's…well, I can tell she's special…I mean…I know I said she was hot, but it's…it's not just that Sam…she's unique, one of a kind. I've never met anyone like her before." He began running his hands through his hair again in agitation, his mind replaying everything Sam had said to him.

He and Sam sat in silence for several minutes before he started feeling antsy. Then it felt like someone walked over his grave. He couldn't stop fidgeting and wondered why. When he caught movement from the corner of his eye, he began looking around the room trying to identify what he thought he had seen. Sam was watching him when warning bells started going off in his head.

The monitors attached to Deeks showed his heart rate was rising and Sam noticed he was beginning to hyperventilate. "What's wrong Deeks?" he asked. Deeks never looked at him or responded in any way. Sam realized he was looking at something in the corner of the room and was scared to death, but at what he couldn't tell because there really wasn't anything there.

"Deeks, talk to me. What's going on?" Sam was getting worried.

Deeks continued staring toward the corner of the room. He was taking short rapid breaths and Sam could see that his hands were trembling. He paled until he was as white as a ghost and looked to Sam in desperation. "Why…why is he here? He's standing in the corner. What's he doing there Sam?" he whispered. "How'd he g…g…get in my room? He's right there." He pointed to a corner of the room. "He's standing right there, in the corner. It's my d…dad…and…and he's laugh…laughing at me. But he's dead. He can't be here. Maybe he just looks like my dad. You see him don't you? Please…t…tell me you see him Sam." His eyes were swimming with unshed tears and he had a look of abject fear on his face.

Sam put his hand on Deeks' arm and was surprised but touched when the younger man leaned into him. He didn't know if it was for protection or for comfort, but he didn't care. He surreptitiously pushed the call button for the nurse once again. He put his arm around Deeks' shoulder, pulling him closer to his side, then looked into his eyes to get his attention.

"Don't worry about him. I won't let him get close to you. Don't look at him Deeks, look at me. I have your back, okay?"

"O…okay." Deeks' body relaxed a little more against Sam. "Am I having another hallucination? I am, aren't I?…I must be. My dad is dead…dead! But I can see him as plain as day…he's there…in that corner… I can see him right there. He's a mean man, he always was…I remember. Am I going crazy? I feel…feel like I'm losing my mind." The tears that had been filling his eyes to the brim earlier slipped down his face as he unconsciously tried to get even closer to Sam, before turning his face to stare into the corner of the room again.

Sam pulled him even closer and put his other arm around him as well to reassure him. "The doctor said you might experience additional hallucinations, but you're not crazy. You hear me Deeks, _You. Are._. It's because of all the drugs Lee gave you. The doc said once they're out of your system, the hallucinations will end. Why don't you keep looking at me, then close your eyes and try resting for a while? I'll protect you, I promise."

Deeks searched his face for what seemed like hours before he nodded his head and let Sam lean him back against the pillows while keeping one arm around him. Slowly losing the fight to remain awake he murmured "Thanks man…mmm tired…but…but I'm sc…scared to sleep. He's mean…my dad…he's a mean drunk and…and he's always drunk. He's vicious and…he always finds me…don't know how, but he does…don't let him get the drop on you or he'll hurt you too." His eyes were closed and his words were becoming softer as he slowly succumbed to sleep. "He was always hurting us…me and my mom. He'd use fists, bottles, anything he could reach to beat the shit out of us. He had a gun…a shotgun…I was so scared…but he was hurting mama…and me…broke my arm…was gonna shoot me…I had to…to shoot him…I was just a little boy. Ummm…'leven years old…I…I was…only 'leven…I got the gun Ray gave me…shot him instead…"

Sam sat there in shock, hearing the words Deeks had just said play over in his mind again and again. He was finally asleep for which Sam was grateful, but he couldn't get those words out of his head. He didn't know that much about Deeks' background or childhood. He wondered if he had been relating a memory or if it was all part of the hallucination he had just experienced. _"That last part sure didn't sound like an hallucination to me. Was that what your life was really like as a child, a living hell? You seem so laid back with no worries in the world other than whether or not the surfing will be good on any given day. Is that another one of your aliases? Did you live through that hell which is why you can withstand so much? God I hope it was another hallucination and not real. No child should have to live in terror of being beaten or shot by his own father and that's what it sounded like you were saying. I wonder if Hetty knows?"_ Sam snorted to himself. _"Come on Sam get real, Hetty knows everything. I wonder what she'll tell me if I ask about it. She will probably tell me it's your story to tell, not hers."_

He looked at his watch and realized the nurse had never answered the call button. He wondered where the hell she was and why she hadn't shown up. He noted that it had been 10 minutes since he pushed the call button the second time, but again she hadn't responded. His temper began a slow burn as more time passed without her coming in to check on her patient.

It took her 15 minutes more before she finally answered the call button. Sam was ready to rip her a new one by the time she showed up. He gave her a dirty look as he told her that Deeks had experienced another hallucination. She looked decidedly unhappy about having to come to the room at all but did tell him she would let the doctor know. He made a mental note of her name and reminded himself to tell Hetty about her attitude and the lack of any empathy for her patient. He was appalled by the lack of care she was demonstrating. She wouldn't be taking care of Deeks any longer if he had anything to do with it. _"Deeks deserves better than this! He doesn't deserve having a nurse that doesn't care about what he's going through. Oh hell no! What if he'd had another seizure. He could have died waiting for her to show up! She shouldn't even be in the nursing profession."_

~,~,~

Hetty was working at her desk when Sam called with an update on Deeks condition and to complain about his nurse. When he finished telling her the nurse's name and about her attitude and lack of caring or compassion for her patient, he wasn't the only one angry; Hetty was seeing red.

"Bugger! I'll take care of it Mr. Hanna. Thank you for letting me know. If anything happens to Mr. Deeks while in the hospital because of her neglect, I will exact a pound of flesh from that young woman _personally_. I'll have a new nurse for him before the hour is up, you have my word on that" Hetty would move heaven and hell to get someone else to take care of her liaison right away. He deserved the very best. _"If anything were to happen to him, I would take it most personally. She will regret not taking better care of him. She'll be lucky to still have a job once I talk to Richard,"_ Hetty thought. She then asked Sam. "When will you be coming into the Mission. We could certainly use your help with this case."

"I'll be in as soon as Kensi gets here. She should be here sometime after noon. I sent her home to get some rest. She fought me on it and I used your name as a threat. I hope that's okay." He was slightly apprehensive about what Hetty would say to that but she let him know it was fine.

"Kensi called and told me. That was a very smart move on your part Mr. Hanna. She would never have left otherwise and Mr. Deeks needs her healthy and at her best if she is to help him recover. Has he remembered any details yet?"

"Not many, and it's really upsetting him. He had another hallucination this morning too. He was seeing a man he said was his father in the corner. He said he was mean and a drunk and would beat him and his mom. He said his father pointed a shotgun at him when he was little. I don't think that last part was an hallucination. I think it really happened. Do you know what he was talking about? Was that a memory and not an hallucination?"

"If Mr. Deeks wants you to know any more about the 'man', he will tell you in his own good time. Don't push him please. I believe he is remembering a very bad time in his life and with all of his injuries right now, he certainly doesn't need any more stress. How long did the hallucination last and does the doctor know about it?"

"It didn't last very long before he fell asleep. I told him I'd watch his back while he slept. To tell you the truth, I'm surprised it worked, but it did. I promised him I'd protect him and he believed me. That's a good sign, don't you think?"

"Yes I do. I believe it means that our Mr. Deeks is slowly regaining more of himself and remembering us."

"Good…that's good. Oh, and I also told the nurse about the hallucination when she finally showed up. She said she'd tell the doctor but I'm not confident she will."

"I'll make sure the doctor is informed. You take care of Mr. Deeks."

Hetty hung the phone up gently and then contacted Richard. When their conversation was over, Hetty was assured Mr. Deeks would have a new nurse within the hour. Richard had been as angry as she was when he was informed of the neglect one of his nurses was showing to patients in his hospital. He prided himself on the excellent care every one of the patients who came through the doors received. He wasn't about to let an incompetent or uncaring nurse neglect any of the patients under his care, let alone ruin the reputation of his hospital.


	21. Chapter 20: Uncomfortable Truths

Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

 **To all of my reviewers** , thanks so much for taking the time to let me know what you think. It really does inspire me to keep writing. We're a little over half way through this story but there's lots more excitement to come.

To my Spanish reviewer: Me alegro de que estés disfrutando de la historia y la forma en que Sam y Deeks estaban interactuando . Espero haber hecho justicia a su relación. Sería bueno si pudiéramos ver lo mismo en la serie.

To my French reviewer: Je suis heureux que vous êtes toujours en appréciant l'histoire et je suis d'accord avec vous que Hetty et peut-être Nell connaît le père Deeks de l'émission.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 20 - Uncomfortable Truths

Kensi showed up in Deeks' room in ICU about 1 that afternoon. Sam could tell she had gotten some much needed sleep. She looked much better than she had that morning making him glad he'd insisted she go home for a while. "You're looking much better since you got some sleep Kensi."

Kensi gave Sam a fake glare before she responded. "Thanks a lot for siccing Hetty on me Sam! How's he doing?" Kensi was looking a sleeping Deeks over very carefully. Sam could tell she really wanted to touch him but didn't want to wake him up.

"He's doing better. He's had a couple of small meals. He's been sleeping a lot. This is the third time he's slept since you left. He's been restless a couple of times but he's been sleeping for a couple of hours now; he should be waking up hungry again pretty soon. He had another hallucination earlier but it didn't last long."

Kensi interrupted "Another one? I was hoping he wouldn't have any more." Sam could tell she was worried as she continued. "What did he see?"

"He thought he saw his father in the corner of the room and was afraid he would hurt him. He kept asking me if he was going crazy. He was really afraid that's what was happening to him. Only Deeks would worry about something like that." Sam gave Kensi a searching look as he related what Deeks had said when he was almost asleep. "He was mumbling as he was falling asleep. It was hard to understand, but he was saying his dad was mean and hurt him and his mom. He said he had pointed a shotgun at him when he was little and told me to watch out because he was sneaky. I told him I would protect him which seemed to help."

Sam looked at Kensi trying to decide whether he should say anything more then asked "Do you know what he was talking about? He sounded really young when he was telling me about his dad and mentioned being eleven when it happened. At first I thought it was part of his hallucination, but now I'm not so sure. I think he was remembering something from when he was young."

"It's not my story to tell Sam. He could be mixing up the man who abducted him with a nightmare or something that happened to him when he was a child."

"You know don't you." Kensi didn't say a word as she looked at Sam. He continued "No, don't answer that. It's none of my business. He'll tell me if he wants me to know." Sam looked over at Deeks, marveling at how young he looked when he slept. "I never really noticed it before, but he looks so much younger when he's sleeping; innocent somehow. And without all that scruff on his face, he even looks younger when he's awake."

Kensi smirked at him. "You like him…a lot, don't you? I knew you would admit it sooner or later. Hah! Wait till I tell him."

"I didn't say I liked him. I told you this morning that he's grown on me, kind of like fungus or ring worm. I never said I liked him." Sam looked at Kensi intently. "He's a brave man and becoming a good friend. He's proven himself to me, hell to the whole team on more than one occasion. But if you tell him that, I'll deny it completely. He's got a big enough head as it is."

"You just keep telling yourself that Sam. If you do so long enough, you may convince yourself, but I know better. He's become like a younger brother to both you _and_ Callen and you know it. I heard about the time in the armory. He said you both gave him a hard time about the case you worked. About how he should have known what you two were going to do. He looks up to you both, even with your teasing and the names you call him. He's determined to prove himself to you but he's still not sure he has. It's why he's never been completely sure of his place on the team or how either one of you really feels about him. He's not sure what you think of his abilities."

"What?…why would he think that? My God, that's nuts. We know he's capable. Hetty would never have picked him for the team if he wasn't." Sam thought he and Deeks had resolved their differences after Sidorov and was surprised that he'd still think he, or Callen for that matter, would have reservations about his abilities. _"Shit! I thought he knew how I really felt. I know he's got the ability to be an amazing agent. He one of the strongest men I've ever known. Not many men could have withstood torture to protect someone they didn't even know. He went through hell to protect my wife, even after I said those terrible things to him. We cleared the air and I told him how I felt, so why would he still have so many doubts? I'm missing something here and I think it has to do with what I heard earlier this morning."_

"Oh gee, I don't know." Kensi couldn't believe Sam was being so clueless. She looked over at Marty tenderly as she continued "Maybe it's the things you've called him like temp, just a cop, not an agent, a nuisance or how you sometimes treat him. And what about the time you called his character into question; during a case no less? I know he projects this aura of self-confidence but beneath that mask, he can be very vulnerable. He hides his insecurities behind his jokes, quips and smart-ass remarks; you should know that by now. Doubting him like that and saying things like that hurts him…a lot…and undermines his confidence in his place on our team. He looks at this team as family but doesn't think we really feel the same way about him. You know, he told me once that when you threw the fake teeth at him the night we took Sidorov down, he couldn't believe how insensitive you were being. He had gone through hell protecting Michelle and then had left his hospital bed without a second thought to provide backup on the roof because you needed him. He said by throwing those teeth at him, he thought you were making light of the fact he'd endured torture to protect her."

"I didn't mean…I mean I wasn't making light of what he went through. He saved Michelle. I know what he went through, I still hear his screams while his teeth were being drilled in my nightmares. I'll never forget that he went through torture to protect my wife. I was trying to lighten the mood and let him know that laughter would help him get through it. God, I'm so sorry Kensi. I'll make it up to him, I promise." Sam looked over at Deeks in stunned silence. He still felt guilty for saying those things to him during the stakeout and hearing how he had made him feel with the joke teeth caused more guilt to surface.

As he stood there looking at him sleeping, he began putting a few more facts together about their liaison officer that hadn't occurred to him before. Sam was convinced that his comments earlier about his dad when he was hallucinating, and then about shooting him as he fell asleep had a basis in fact. He was also convinced that Deeks hid a lot of trauma he'd endured through his quips, jokes and smart-ass remarks. His whole laid-back cocky attitude was probably another mask to protect himself.

He thought back over 'that' conversation _"I was completely out of line when I lit into him about his character. And to do it in the middle of an op was completely unprofessional not to mention dangerous to the whole mission. Hetty was right to call me on it. I didn't realize it still bothered him though. No wonder he was afraid of me when he woke up this morning and saw me standing there instead of Kensi. He sounded so young when he was talking about his dad. I'm beginning to realize his childhood wasn't a happy one by any stretch of the imagination. I wonder what hell he went through as a child. He seems so confident most of the time, but I bet it's another 'alias' he uses to protect himself."_

"I know Sam, and I think he knows that now too. It's just that I think he still has demons that undermine his confidence from time to time. Hell, we all do if truth be told. And we all have our secrets as well. Why don't you go get some lunch since I'm back? I'm not planning on leaving any time soon."

"I told Hetty I'd be in to work after you got here. I'll grab some lunch and go. Do you want me to bring you anything before I head out?"

Kensi hugged him as she replied. "No, I ate before I came."

~,~,~

Marty continued sleeping most of the day, waking up for an hour or so in between naps. The first time he woke up and saw Kensi, he asked where Sam was. And every time after that when he woke up Kensi was there. It made him feel good to realize she had kept her promise that he wouldn't be alone, but he was still frustrated that he couldn't remember many of the details of their relationship. He'd bug her until she would relent and tell him some stories about how they met and became partners. It helped pass the time, gave him something to hold on to and brought snippets of memories back to him. Hearing Kensi talk about their life together brought additional flashes of memory and a lot of them made him laugh.

He laughed out loud when he was able to remember their 'arguments' about when and how to use 'touché'. When he told her he remembered that, the look on her face was priceless and they began 'arguing' again about the proper use of the word engaging in their usual banter, throwing nicknames at each other and acting indignant in turn. They were both enormously relieved by the fact he was starting to remember more about her and the team. To say he had been frustrated when everything was a blank was an understatement.

Dr. Montgomery was pleased when he came by to check on Marty and was told he'd started remembering his friends and team mates. The doctor encouraged him to let things come naturally and assured him again that as the rest of the drugs left his system, his memory would improve by leaps and bounds. After he left, Marty confessed to Kensi how afraid he'd been that he would never get his memories back.

Kensi stayed with him the rest of the day and then spent the night on a cot next to his bed which the staff had provided for her. His night was again plagued with nightmares; several times he woke up screaming before she could get to him. But unlike the first night in the hospital, she was able to wake him before most of the nightmares progressed very far. Every time she woke him up, they would spend a few minutes talking before sleep would once again claim him.

~,~,~

Marty's second full day in the hospital was again spent eating small amounts of food every few hours, reminiscing with Kensi about his returning memories and sleeping a great deal. Sam relieved her for a couple of hours so she could go home and take a shower during the time the doctor came to check on him. The doctor informed Marty he was being moved from ICU to a regular room where he could have more than one visitor at a time. "You're doing so well, it's time to spring you from ICU. I know you don't think you've made a lot of progress but you have." Marty's face lit up when he heard the news.

"Thanks doc." was all he could think to say.

The doctor wasn't finished though. "I know Miss Lange has made arrangements for you to talk to someone about what you went through. I strongly encourage you to do so because it will help you deal with everything that's happened to you."

"You're talking about a shrink, right doc? And my boss has already set something up. I know you're right…don't like it…but know it needs to be done."

The transfer to a regular room took its toll on him. "I didn't do anything and I'm exhausted" he complained to Sam.

"That's your body telling you to rest. Go to sleep. Kensi will be here when you wake up."

"Yeah, okay." he managed to get out before he was once again asleep.

Sam sat there watching over him while thinking once again how very young he looked when he was sleeping. He reminded him of Kamran so wasn't surprised at the feelings of protectiveness that overcame him. He called Hetty and let her know that Deeks was in room 528 now and could have more than one visitor at a time. He then sat back and watched over him while he continued sleeping.

~.~.~

Kensi returned a short time later and Sam left to go to OSP. She stayed with Marty as she had promised even after he was moved into a regular room. He thought she would leave once he was no longer in ICU. He couldn't explain why he thought that but he did. After all, she had told him they were more than partners; hell, she said they were almost living together, but his old demons were rearing their ugly heads and he wasn't strong enough at the moment to ignore them. "Aren't you going to go back to work now that I'm in a regular room? You don't have to stay you know. I'll be okay on my own now."

The look on his face reminded Kensi of how many insecurities he hid behind his cocky attitude, smart-ass remarks and upbeat persona. "Why would I leave you now? I'm taking care of my partner…and my boyfriend. It's what we do for each other. Besides, I'd rather be here with you than working without you. Don't you know that by now?"

"I guess…well…I thought…you know…since I'm doing better, I can…well I um…hell, I…I'm an idiot…I don't know what I was thinking." He ran his hands through his hair before he began picking at the blanket covering him in frustration.

Kensi leaned over the bed and placed a light kiss on his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise as Kensi tucked a curl back off his forehead then giggled. "You're babbling. Marty, I love you. Why would I leave you because you're doing better? I'm _glad_ you're doing better."

"Well…that just happened." He touched his lips in wonder before continuing. "Good…I'm…that was nice…I liked that, a lot." He grinned at her. "Can we do that again?"

She laughed as she replied, "You're such a doofus."

He didn't know what else to say so he just smiled at her and reached out to caress her face. Kensi leaned into his hand and smiled. "You can't get rid of me that easily Marty Deeks. You're stuck with me, mister. I'm going to stay with you whether you want me to or not."

He grinned again and his eyes started sparkling. She knew he was going to throw out some type of quip by the look on his face. "Since you say I'm stuck with you, I think I need another reminder of our relationship. Will you kiss my owies for me and make them all better?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "And there he is, my annoying partner and his banter is back. God, I've missed you." she said then leaned forward again and kissed his eyelids, then his swollen jaw before placing another lingering kiss on his lips. "There. Do they feel better now?"

His entire face was lit up. His eyes were beginning to turn a cobalt blue with desire. "I have a lot more owies than that, Kens." His voice was low and filled with desire. The sound made Kensi shiver as she remembered other times when he sounded like that.

"You'll have to wait for me to kiss the other ones."

"Promise?"

"I promise, but you have to get better first. You couldn't handle me kissing all of your owies right now." She smirked at him.

"Yeah, um…there is that." He looked at her with a devilish grin on his face. "I think I'm going to like it when you kiss the other ones. Can I get a preview?"

"Never satisfied are you Deeks." Kensi grinned before leaning forward once again giving him another kiss on the mouth and then dotting kisses on his forehead, and down his neck, nibbling on his ear before she tugged on the short curls at the back of his neck.

He was flushed and breathing heavily by the time she finished. All he could say was "Wow…that was…wow. If that's the preview, I can't wait to get better."

~,~,~

Marty was remembering more details about what had happened to him as the last of the drugs left his system. He had already regained most of his memories of Kensi and the team; he even remembered Lt. Bates along with details about the abduction itself and the immediate aftermath. However, he still had a huge blank spot for the remainder of the time he had been held prisoner. The doctor informed him he might never recover all of his memories of what he'd gone through because of the drugs, especially the date rape drug Rhoponyl, he had been given. It frustrated him not knowing everything that happened, but Kensi was secretly glad that his memories of his ordeal were largely blank. She didn't think he needed to relive the torture sessions although she knew at some point he'd want to see the videos. The longer that particular argument could be put off the better in her opinion. All she wanted to do was to burn the damn things and forget they had ever been made. Thoughts of his torture and the things he had said when he was first found were chasing themselves across her face.

He lay in bed watching her, hating the fact she was worried about him as he watched her thoughts and emotions flicker across her face. He also knew she was full of questions she wanted to ask. "What do you want to know Kens?"

She hesitated for a few minutes then decided to ask about Sam. "Who's Sam Marty?" She had been convinced the 'Sam' he had been talking to when they found him was a real person and Hetty had confirmed it later. She wanted to know more about him because she could tell he was important to Marty.

"Sam Hanna? He's our team mate. I know I was having trouble remembering you all at first, but not anymore." Marty's face showed his confusion at her question.

"Not our Sam Marty, your Sam. You kept talking about Sam when we first found you and begging him to help you. Who was he? Hetty told us he was dead but that he was someone important to you."

"Oh…I don't remember that…I did? I talked about Sam, really?" Marty lost himself for a while in memories of Sam. Kensi could see she had brought up a lot of memories with her question so sat patiently waiting for him to reply.

"That's right. I've never told you about Sam, have I?" he finally stated glancing at her before looking at his hands in his lap. They were shaking and he clasped them tightly together trying to control their trembling.

"No you haven't. But the way you were talking about him makes me think he was very important to you. Was he?"

"Yes, he was. I…I don't talk about my childhood much. You know that. Too many bad memories…more bad than good ones. And…I, well, Sam was different. I miss him…Sam; so much. To this day it's still hard to talk about him. I…he was so good to me." The emotions he was feeling were as clear as day to her; fear, desperation, relief, love and then pain and loss.

"You don't have to tell me about him if you don't want to. I just thought…well, it might help, you know?"

"No…no, I want to, and you're right. It's time…but you know, I've never really told anyone about him before." He was still looking down at his hands in his lap. He couldn't look at her as he continued. "It's just…it's so fucking hard…it still hurts so much; you know?"

"I know Marty, I know." Kensi was thinking of her Dad and how hard it had been for her to talk to Marty about him. She reached over and covered his hands with her own. She was going to be patient and let him set the pace on what he told her and when.

Looking up, he finally began speaking. "Sam…he saved my life…I mean he literally saved my life, Kens. I don't know where I'd be today if I hadn't met him. I sure as hell wouldn't be here, with you. I'd probably be dead…or in prison." He shook his head to get the memories of where he might have ended up out of his head.

"I wish you could have known him."

"Me too Marty, me too."

"I've never told you this…but…for the first eleven years of my life I lived in hell…at least that's the way it seemed to me. Sam…he owned a store that sold music, instruments, and gave music lessons in the neighborhood I grew up in. I came across it one day when I was about…oh I don't know, seven maybe? I was very young, that I remember. Anyway, after I found it, I used to go there to get away from my dad. It was a magical place for me. I would listen to the lessons going on inside and be able to forget the horrors of my home life for a little while. I was so afraid someone would see me there and tell my old man that I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. I would run whenever Sam even looked at me. God knows what he must have thought of me. I know he thought I was younger than I was. Like I said, I think I was seven, but probably looked like I was five; I was small as a child." Marty's memories overwhelmed him for a moment and he quit talking. He glanced at Kensi quickly and then away from her as he got lost in memories of Sam.


	22. Chapter 21: More About Sam

Here's more about Sam from Marty's memories.

Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

As usual, nherbie has taken my chapter and made it better.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

 **To all of my reviewers** , I'm amazed that this story has received over 250 reviews. All of you deserve virtual ice cream sundaes (my favorite) to eat. Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter. Thanks so much for all of your encouragement.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 21: More About Sam

Marty's memories overwhelmed him for a moment and he quit talking. He glanced at Kensi quickly and then away from her as he got lost in memories of Sam.

~,~,~

Several minutes of silence passed before he gathered the courage to start talking again.

"It must have been…oh I don't know…months before he got me to talk to him. He took me by surprise one day when I was listening to the music and asked me if I liked it. I didn't know whether to run or piss my pants I was so scared but he was between me and the shop door. There was nowhere to go so I finally murmured 'yes'. He was talking to me in this kind voice. He was a big man, but his voice was so kind." He looked up at Kensi before continuing.

"You know, until then I had never heard an adult other than my mom and one of my grade school teachers speak to me that way. It took me completely by surprise. When he asked me if I played an instrument. I couldn't think of what to say so I just nodded my head yes. He then asked me what instrument I played. Once I finally found my voice, I told him I played violin. I didn't know what he was thinking, but he asked me to play for him." Marty stopped speaking as the memories washed over him again and started picking at the scabs on his arms. He knew he was very close to crying and didn't want to give in to the tears.

Kensi waited silently for him to continue. She could see the emotions he was trying to hide and didn't want to push, but when he had been mute for several minutes, she finally whispered "And did you?"

He actually jumped a little bit when he realized she was talking to him. "Did I what?"

"Play for Sam."

He looked at her in surprise. He had been so lost in his memories of Sam, he had forgotten where he was or who was with him. He nodded his head 'yes' then continued. "He gave me his violin to play and told me to play something I loved. He said…" His throat was tight and his voice was husky as he tried to control his emotions so he could speak. "…he said he couldn't play anymore because of his hands. They were arthritic and it hurt too much to play. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, that violin. I still have it Kens. I play it a couple times a week to keep my hands in shape. It's a little like being on the ocean for me. I think I played Bach…yeah, it was Bach's Loure, Partita No. 3. I love that piece…always have." He smiled in remembrance.

"It was one of the first pieces my mother taught me how to play. She was so patient with me and all I wanted to do was please her and make her smile. When it was just her and I, there were some good times, not many because she was always expecting my old man to pop up and beat her; but some. Anyway, after I finished playing the piece for him, he asked me how old I was and then what my name was and told me his. He asked me who had taught me how to play and I told him my mom would play a piece and I would repeat it back to her. He said he owned the store and I could come and play his violin any time I wanted. When I asked him why, he said he liked hearing his violin played by someone who obviously loved playing. I couldn't believe it and asked him why he was being so nice to me." He looked up at her shaking his head slightly. "I didn't have much experience with adults being nice so he shocked the hell out of me with his words and actions."

Marty had to stop there because he could feel tears once again gathering in his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of her. God knows why, but he was feeling very vulnerable right then. As soon as he got his emotions under control once more, he continued. "He was the first adult besides my mother I ever trusted. I was afraid to tell him my name because I was terrified my dad would find out. I was sure he would hurt Sam if he did. I finally asked him if he could keep it a secret. He told me that if that's what I wanted, we could make a pact. It would be our secret…my name and me going there. After that, I was at the store whenever I could get away from my old man." He looked at Kensi with eyes shiny and full of tears. "He was the type of man I had always prayed for as a dad. He was the exact opposite of my so-called father."

"He sounds like he was a wonderful man."

"He was."

"I'm glad he was in your life."

"Me too Kens, me too. After I trusted him enough to tell him a little about what went on at home, he…he told me he would always come if I needed him. He's the one adult who never lied to me. Never; and he never broke a promise to me without a good reason. He always made sure I understood if he had to break a promise." A bittersweet smile flashed across his face. "He showed up at the hospital that night…the night I shot my father and stayed with me all night long. He was there as my arm was casted and the buckshot was removed from my side. I found out later that the social worker had called him. He'd dropped everything to come to the hospital. He rocked me to sleep after the doctors had treated my arm and the gunshot wound. I'd never felt that safe before Kens…never. I remember having a nightmare and waking up in his arms. He ended up holding me all night so I would feel safe. He didn't have to do that for me but that's the kind of man he was. He was my hero."

"Wait…gunshot wound? What gunshot wound? And what happened to your arm? Did your dad shoot you? Is that why you had to shoot him? Oh Marty, I'm so sorry. What kind of monster would do that to his own son?" Kensi's eyes were glistening as she realized the hell he had endured while only a child. They'd never talked about his childhood much. Oh, she had known a little bit, but he had never mentioned 'that night' before.

"Oh…that's right…I've never told you about that night either have I? I know I've told you some things, but not about that night. My dad was a mean drunk. Since he was always drunk, he was always mean. Anything would set him off and he would begin beating my mom and me saying whatever had happened to set him off was our fault. That night was the worst and I somehow knew he wasn't going to stop until we were both dead."

"When he left us in the kitchen bleeding, I ran to my room and got the gun Ray had given me. I went back into that room…he had come back and had a shotgun pointed at my mom. I…p. the gun at him yelling at him to leave my mom alone. She was out cold and bleeding all over the floor. He'd already broken my arm with the handle of a broom. He didn't think I could shoot him but…when he cocked the shotgun and pointed it at me…I pulled the trigger. He must have jerked pulling the trigger as I shot him, because most of the buckshot missed me. After that, I don't remember much until Sam came to the hospital."

"Sam took me in after…after that night." Marty's eyes were glistening with unshed tears as he continued. My mom on the other hand…you know, I thought my dad had killed her that night, but she was still alive…she took off…she left without a word…she abandoned me at the hospital and gave me up to the state. I…I never saw her again. How could she do that to me? How could a mother abandon her child? Who does that?" Marty looked at Kensi with haunted, pained filled eyes; when he said those words he couldn't keep eye contact with her.

"Sam explained it to me, but to this day I have trouble believing what he told me. I mean I understand it up here…" he pointed to his head; "…but I have trouble understanding why she did it here…" He pointed to his heart that time.

"He told me she'd been defeated by life and didn't have any hope left but that he knew she loved me. She just didn't know how to take care of me any more. I would have ended up in the system if he…Sam hadn't taken me home with him. He gladly took me into his home and life even though I wasn't related to him. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was the first time I ever felt truly safe." He was looking anywhere but at Kensi as he tried to get his emotions under control once more.

She watched as he fought to keep from crying. She whispered "What was his full name; your Sam?"

It took several minutes before he could look at her again. When he did, all he was able to choke out was "Samuel Deeks." His voice was rough with unshed tears and her heart ached for him.

As soon as she heard Sam's last name, she realized some things; including why he didn't go by Brandel. "You took his last name as yours didn't you. To honor him."

"He gave me a home Kens, and a family. He loved me and told me all the time that I was a son to cherish. No one had ever said that to me before. I was a waste of time to hear my old man talk. My old man said I was weak and not worth anything. Sam told me my old man didn't deserve to have a son like me; that it was his loss; that God had given him a great gift and he'd thrown it away…I asked him if I could change my last name to his when he adopted me. I didn't do it to honor him…at least not just to honor him. It was also to belong to him. He was my father in every way that counted and I wanted to carry his last name. It was the best thing I ever did, getting rid of my old man's name."

"How long were you with Sam?"

"I was in my first year of law school when he…when he died, so I guess I was with him about nine years. You know it's funny. I never played the violin for anyone except for my mom before she left and Sam. I mean Ray had heard me play but he was my best friend. We tried to protect each other from our dads. Sam tried to get me to play it in school but I couldn't do it. I'm not sure why but it was probably leftover fear of my old man. Anyway…when he was in the hospital after his first stroke, I played for him every time I visited him…anything he wanted to hear I'd play. I didn't even think about the nurses and doctors hearing me. It was all for Sam. And then when…when he died, I somehow screwed up my courage and played at the funeral as my eulogy to him. I played the Bach again, the first music I ever played for him." Marty was emotionally drained from talking about Sam.

Kensi reached over and gathered him in her arms. She spent several minutes just rubbing his back and whispering soothing words in his ear. She could tell he was exhausted by their conversation. She also knew that telling her as much as he had about Sam had been extremely hard for him. Once she felt him relax a little, she tried to lighten the atmosphere a bit. "Maybe once you're better and home again, you could play for me? I'd love to hear you play Sam's violin."

He looked at her with gratitude shining in his eyes. "I'd like that, a lot. I'll play something Sam loved."

They talked for a while longer. Marty was completely done in by their conversation and the emotions it dredged up but was fighting sleep as usual. Kensi knew he was dreading the nightmares he would experience but he needed sleep to recover, so she encouraged him to rest. "Marty, I would love to hear more about Sam some other time if you want to talk about him again. But right now, you're exhausted. Go to sleep. You need your rest."

"But that seems to be all I've been doing! Don't you get bored waiting for me to wake up?" His feelings were all over the place after telling Kensi about Sam. He was feeling guilty about her staying with him even when he was asleep but if he was honest with himself, he didn't want her to leave either. He felt safer with her there and he didn't have as many nightmares when she was watching over him.

"What did I just get through telling you Deeks? You're stuck with me. I'm never leaving you. All in, remember? I'm in it for the long haul."

Marty smiled at her in relief. "Okay…okay…good to know. All in. I sleep better when you're here anyway." He looked out the window, then down at his hands laying in his lap before he looked up to meet her eyes. "Kens…would you sleep with me? I…I mean I'd feel better if I could hold you."

"Are you sure I won't hurt you?"

"No, there's enough room and besides I'll sleep better with you beside me instead of sitting in that chair. It's got to be better next to me than trying to stretch out in that chair anyway."

"Sure. I'd like that." She carefully helped him move over and then climbed into the bed beside him. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist with a huge sigh. He then closed his eyes and before long, he was asleep.

Kensi never got tired watching him sleep. He always looked so young and innocent when he was sleeping. He looked even younger clean shaven. His breathing was deep and slow and his body was completely limp like a small child's when they sleep. She brushed some of his hair back out of his face and kissed him on the forehead then tucked the covers around him. She lay there watching him and taking comfort in the fact he was safe now and getting better every day.

~,~,~

The next time Deeks woke, it was the following morning. He looked over at Kensi to find her awake and watching him. He finally felt like the cobwebs had been swept from his brain. He was clearheaded and pissed when he realized he had been catheterized at some point after arriving at the hospital. He hated catheters, he always had. _"I don't care what the doctors say. I want this thing out. There's something about having a tube shoved up my penis that isn't right. What if it wasn't inserted correctly and something gets damaged so I can no longer perform? That would suck…it would suck big time. It could happen too."_ Having a catheter had always disconcerted him. He looked over at Kensi with a troubled look on his face. "Kensi, why am I catheterized? I want to get up and use the bathroom." he grumbled.

"Marty, your feet are in terrible shape. The doctor doesn't want you walking around. That's why. You know that." Kensi waited for the explosion she knew was coming. She'd seen it before when he had been in the hospital. He gave her a hurt look as he pushed the call button to summon the nurse. To say he wasn't happy at all was putting it mildly.

"You'll be able to get rid of it as soon as the doctor feels you've healed enough." She climbed out of his bed as she was telling him that. "I'm going to see about getting the doctor to look at you." she said just as a nurse walked into the room.

She was a different nurse than the one Sam had seen the previous morning and introduced herself "I'm your nurse, Wendy. I'll be taking care of you today Mr. Martin."

"Call me Marty." Deeks smiled at her, but Kensi noted it didn't reach his eyes. She was also sure the nurse didn't notice based on the slight flush that came over her face. _"What is it about him and his effect on women? Women of all ages, from 2 to 92, are like putty in his hands when he smiles. Its like he has no control over the charm that oozes out of every pore of his body affecting any female around and it never ceases to amaze me. I felt it the first time I ever saw him in that gym. He looked like a grumpy angel when I met him and all I wanted to do was jump his bones."_

He informed the nurse he wanted the catheter out and now, in no uncertain terms. "Get the doctor in here. I want this thing out of me now." He was angry and upset as he waited. His heart was pounding and his hands were shaking.

"Breathe Marty, just breathe. You know you're not supposed to get upset." Kensi tried to calm him down but it took a few minutes before she was successful.

"When is the doctor going to get here? I want this damn thing out Kens…and I want it out now."

"He's on his way Marty. Can you be patient a little while longer until the doctor gets here to talk to you? I don't think you realize how much damage was done to your feet. The doctor wants to you to stay off them as much as possible so you don't do any more damage to them." He nodded, not saying a word which let Kensi know just how upset he was about the situation.

~,~,~

He was getting more and more agitated the longer it took for the doctor to show up. He was rubbing his hands along the blanket covering his legs then running them through his hair, fidgeting and looking at the door every five seconds. _"Where is the doctor? Damn it. I want this thing out of me and he's taking his own sweet time getting here."_ The door opened when Dr. Montgomery arrived. Almost before he was all the way into the room, Marty blurted "I want the catheter out. Can you do it?"

"I would prefer to leave it in for another day to let you regain some strength and for your feet to heal more before you begin walking on them Mr. Martin." the doctor replied.

"Call me Marty. And I'm fine, I can walk, my feet don't hurt that much." He looked toward Kensi and almost dared her with his eyes to disagree with him.

Kensi tried valiantly to hide the incredulous snort that burst from her behind a cough but was only partly successful. _"What a crock Deeks! You still look like a brisk wind would knock you ass over teakettle. You're the only man I know who complains bitterly about a paper cut but then insists that almost being beaten to death, drugged to within an inch of your life and starved for days on end is nothing at all to worry about. And what it is about you men and catheters? You can be such babies about them. It's just a small tube for crying out loud. There's nothing to worry about. Men! Can't live with them and can't live without them."_

Deeks heard the snort and gave Kensi a dirty look before looking back at the doctor.

The doctor didn't want him walking at all because the pressure could aggravate the injuries he'd already sustained to his feet and tried to convince him to wait another day before trying to walk. "I can take the catheter out but I'm advising you to use a bedpan for a day or so. Then you can graduate to using a wheelchair to get to the bathroom." The suggestion of him using a bedpan went over like a lead balloon.

Deeks started getting upset all over again which was the last thing the doctor wanted. "No dammit…no! I'll use the wheelchair if I have to, but I'm not going to use a freaking bedpan to piss!" He wasn't about to have anything to do with one. "I can stand the pain of my feet for the minute or so it takes me to use the head! It's bad enough that I'll have to use the wheelchair to get around, I can at least go to the head like a man."

"Okay, Marty. We'll try it your way first if you promise me two things." The doctor replied.

"What's that?"

"First, calm down. Getting upset will only aggravate your injuries and could cause additional hallucinations. Second, if the pain in your feet gets worse, promise you'll tell me and use the bedpan for a day or so. Will you use the wheelchair except to stand and tell me if the pain gets worse?"

Marty thought it over and agreed reluctantly. "Okay, we have a deal. I'll use the wheelchair to get around if it means I can at least stand up to relieve myself, and if the pain gets too bad, I'll let you know."

Kensi moved to the door. "I'll give you some privacy. I'll be outside if you need anything."

~,~,~

Marty was still weak but was much happier once the catheter was removed. He used the wheelchair grudgingly, but he was keeping his promise to use it to get around to prevent any further damage to his feet. He was surprised at how tired he was from just going to the bathroom, in the wheelchair no less, and then returning to his bed. Kensi encouraged him to take another nap. "I'll be here when you wake up."

They spent the remainder of the day talking in between Marty's naps.

~,~,~

While Deeks was getting the catheter removed, Hetty was on the phone once again with Lt. Bates. "Now that Mr. Deeks has been moved to a regular room at the hospital, what do you think the chances are that Ivan Lee will try to get to him there?"

"I wouldn't put it past the man to try to get to him again." Lt Bates replied thoughtfully.

"One of his team mates is there at all times watching out for him, but I'm concerned that it may not be enough. When he was in ICU, there was more protection for him. Even though I admitted him under an alias, I'm worried. If Ivan Lee is as smart as I think he is, he may very well find out what name Mr. Deeks is using. He should have additional security around him. It would help a great deal if you could provide a team to help guard him."

Lt. Bates was worried about Deeks' safety as well and agreed with Hetty. "If Lee gets to him again, Deeks may not survive the experience. I'll put a protection detail around him while he's in the hospital. They'll be there 24/7 until we get the psycho.

"Thank you Lt. Bates." Hetty was relieved. Even with someone from his team looking out for him, a police presence would provide additional protection. She didn't want anything else to happen to her favorite agent/liaison. "I'll call Miss Blye and tell her that she's now on official guard duty. I'll also let her know a police guard will be arriving there sometime today. Have your people give her the password "noodles" so she knows they're legitimate. I don't know why, but it's Mr. Deeks' favorite 'safe' word. We can't be too careful. Besides, once he's more like himself, he'll get a kick out of the fact that we used it."

Lt. Bates chuckled at the ridiculous password. Of course it would be Deeks' favorite. It sounded just like him. "That's a good idea. I'll let the two teams I'm sending know what the password is." As she ended the call, Hetty drank some more tea before calling Kensi to inform her of the new development.


	23. Chapter 22: Guarding Marty

Here's a nice long chapter for you. This chapter and the next one used to be a single chapter but it was getting much too long so I split it where I thought it would work. As usual thoughts are in quotes and italics.

Nherbie has once taken my chapter and made it better.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison and Samuel Deeks.

To all of my reviewers, I'm amazed that this story has received over 260 reviews. All of you are amazing. I only wish I could respond to all of the guests who've left reviews as well, but since I can't, I want you to know that I read all of your reviews too. To my Spanish reviewer: Me alegro de que estés disfrutando de la historia. Aprecio la revisión.

Please press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter. Thanks so much for all of your encouragement.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 22 - Guarding Marty

"Kens…thanks for being here with me." Marty was lying in bed later that day, clearly fighting to stay awake as usual.

"Any time Marty, any time. We're partners. Quit fighting it and go to sleep now, I'm here and you're safe." She reached over and brushed his hair back from his eyes. "You need your sleep."

"Okay."

Once he was asleep, Kensi pulled the recliner closer to the bed, took hold of one of his hands and relaxed back into the chair. She enjoyed watching him sleep but knew it wouldn't be long before he woke up. She was almost asleep still holding his hand when her cell phone vibrated. She reluctantly let go to answer her phone.

"Miss Blye, you're officially on guard duty now. We know that Ivan Lee escaped from prison a year ago and now that Mr. Deeks is in a regular room, I'm worried about security. After talking to Lt. Bates, we're both rather concerned Lee might try to get to him somehow. Lt. Bates is sending over a two-man police guard. We both want Mr. Deeks guarded at all times until Lee is apprehended. The guards will confirm their identities by giving you the password 'noodles'." Hetty smirked as she continued. "I thought it was appropriate since he has used it as a safe word before."

Kensi could almost see the smile on Hetty's face when she gave her the password. "I'll be on the look-out for them Hetty. I already have my gun with me and no-one will get through me to Marty, I promise."

"I know, Miss Blye. He's lucky to have you."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm the one who's lucky. He's always had my back. He has from the very beginning. It's my turn now."

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Deeks will not be going back to his apartment when he is released from the hospital."

"Why not? I cleaned it thoroughly and it's ready for him. By the time he gets out of the hospital, the stairs shouldn't be a problem for him." Kensi was puzzled.

"His apartment has been compromised twice now. I don't think it's safe for him there any longer. We can't be sure Lee or his associates didn't give his address to others Mr. Deeks has put in prison. I don't want them to know where he lives. Nell is looking into apartments as we speak to find one that will satisfy his need to be close to the beach and will take dogs."

~,~,~

About 30 minutes later, the police guard sent by Bates appeared at Deeks' hospital room door. The officer introduced himself and his partner to Kensi.

"I'm Officer Kent Brooks and this is my partner, Officer Ruth Green. Lt. Bates assigned us to guard 'Mr. Martin'. We'll be here until midnight. Our replacements, Dets. Richard Riley and Gordon Tompkins, will relieve us then. I was told to ask for a Kensi Blye. I'm assuming that's you."

"It's me. How were you told to identify yourselves?" She wasn't giving anything away about how she would know they were legitimate.

Both officers showed her their badges. "Well, normally our badges would be identification enough, but Lt. Bates isn't taking any chances so he told us to also tell you the password is "noodles". Officer Brooks smiled when he said the word "noodles". He would love to know why that particular word was being used. "I don't know what kind of password that is, but are you satisfied that we are who we say we are?"

Kensi returned his smile. "Yep" she said, popping her 'p'. "I'm Agent Kensi Blye and 'Andrew Martin' is my partner. I'll be staying here in the room with him. You can call me Kensi. Oh, and thanks for remembering he's here under an alias."

"Call me Kent and my partner Ruth. We're glad to meet you Kensi."

"Glad to meet you too. At least one of you should be guarding the door at all times. Be very careful, the man we think took 'Mr Martin' is a psychopath and he has at least two people that we know of helping him. Don't lower your guard for anyone. Marty's doctor's name is Montgomery. Have the nurses identify themselves to you as well. We're not taking any chances here. He's already been through more than most people would survive."

"I've heard stories about him around the station." Officer Green interjected.

"I hope you realize most of what you heard was probably lies to show him in the worst possible light." Kensi gave Officer Green a hard look as she continued. "There are more than a few men in the precinct that don't like him. Especially since he became our liaison and then took down not only Scarli but Quinn as well."

Officer Green grinned. Her whole face lit up when she grinned and Kensi immediately felt like she might become someone she could call a friend.

"I don't believe much of what I hear around the precinct. Cops are some of the worst gossips on the planet! I like making up my own mind about people. I looked into Mr. Martin…" here she put air quotes around the name "when I started hearing the scuttlebutt. I think most of the cops who dislike him have never worked with him. My training officer, Richard Osborne, was also his training officer and I heard nothing but good things from him about Mr. Martin. The cops that don't like him probably don't because he's a better cop than they can ever hope to be. And when he got picked for the liaison position with NCIS there were a lot of jealous cops thinking they should have gotten the job."

Kensi turned to Officer Brooks, "And what do you think?"

He looked over at Green, shrugged his shoulders, grinned and said "What she said. She's my partner." The look he gave her was one Kensi recognized.

She laughed. "Smart man; good answer." At first blush, she liked both Kent and Ruth. She could see they had some unresolved sexual attraction between the two of them which reminded her of Deeks and her when they first met. _"What a small world it is. They like each other, a lot! Every time they look at each other, the sparks fly. The sexual tension between them is obvious! I wonder if we were we as transparent as they are?"_

Kent spoke up "We'll be outside the door. Yell if you need anything."

"Thanks. I'll do that." Kensi felt a huge weight lifting from her shoulders.

Green and Brooks turned away from the door to begin their guard duty.

Knowing the police were stationed outside Marty's room, she relaxed a little. She pulled the cot over by the bed, reached over and took his hand in hers again. Before too long, she had fallen asleep still holding his hand.

~,~,~

Marty didn't know what had caused him to waken, but soon realized it was the pain from his fractured ribs, as well as the burns, cuts and welts he had received. He wondered why one of his hands was restrained until he looked over to his left and saw Kensi asleep on the cot with his hand in hers. _"Kens…oh Princess, you're so beautiful. And you're here…with me…you've been here the entire time. You look tired, so tired. I'm sorry for worrying you. I stayed strong…for you baby girl…for you."_ He began thinking about the team and his place on it and at NCIS, knowing they had moved heaven and earth to find him. The realization that he remembered everything about his friends and co-workers came as a pleasant surprise and relieved him tremendously. _"I remember everything, the team, Hetty, Ben and us; everything. Thank God. I love you so much Kensalina. Now if I could only remember something about the abduction and where I was held. I want to find the asshole who did this to me. He's got to be stopped before he hurts someone else. I don't know why, but I'm sure he's done something like this before. He likes hurting people, not just me. You're the only reason I got through this; your laugh, your eyes…everything I love about you. I love you so much. I fought like hell to come back to you. You're the only reason I survived. I couldn't leave you alone; I just couldn't."_

He lay there drinking in the sight of her while trying to remain as still as possible. It was the only thing that helped reduce the amount of pain he was experiencing. He thought back over the days since that fateful night they spent apart. He knew he wasn't remembering everything that had happened; he was still foggy on many of the details, but things were becoming clearer. Maybe he just needed to try harder. _"Think Deeks, think! What happened that night after I left the bar? Come on man, it can't be that hard! Let's see…I know I had a drink with Callen and Sam and then went home. I went for a walk. Was someone with me? I seem to remember someone else there but who was it? What then? I locked up and hit the sack early because I was tired. I…I remember a sound woke me up…yes that's right. There were sounds coming from the living room and then I heard a yelp or something. What did I do next? What…what did I do?…damn!…come on Deeks! remember. I was in bed and…wait, there's more. I remember I got my gun and slipped into the living room. Why didn't I hit the agent in distress code? It must have been because I thought the sound might be outside my apartment. I didn't realize there was someone there until…until I got into the living room. Was it only one person or were there more? Dammit it's so frustrating! Why am I still so fuzzy about the details of that night?_

He must have moved or made some sound while struggling to remember, because suddenly Kensi was awake and moving "Are you okay Marty?" she asked as she leaned over the bed to look into his eyes.

"I'm fine…I mean I'm okay. I remember everyone Fern; the team, Hetty, everyone. I still can't believe I didn't recognize you before…was it yesterday or the day before when you found me? I remember all my nicknames for you too: Fern, Kensalina, Kiki, wifey, baby girl, love of my life, my ladybird, sugarbear, wonder woman; and my personal favorite, Kens…"

"You just had to remember all the cheesy nicknames you've given me didn't you?" she snickered.

"They're not cheesy; they're adorable, just like you are. They show you how much I love you." Marty grinned at her.

"You keep telling yourself that Marty. What were you doing that made you groan?"

"I groaned, really? I'm…I was trying to remember what happened to me that night…and I remembered something." Deeks replied. "I remembered I was sleeping when I heard a sound. I think it was a dog yelping…yeah, that's what that sound was. I should know the dog's name…I just had it. I know he's mine…but his name keeps slipping away…wait, Monty…I heard Monty! That's right, I took him for a walk before I went to bed. Anyway, I heard a noise and retrieved my gun then slipped into the living room. It's spotty after that." He tried to find a more comfortable position and winced.

"You're in pain" Kensi reached out and pressed the call button. "Don't try to deny it. You need your pain meds."

"But they make me sleepy and I've slept enough! That seems to be all I do. Eat then sleep, rinse and repeat. I need to figure out everything I've been through and I can't do that if I'm sleeping all the time." He whined, running his hands through his hair; grimacing every so often when he hit one of the contusions hidden by it. He then began picking at the blanket covering him again in agitation.

She hated seeing him upset but knowing him as she did, she knew he would worry at the memories like a dog chewing a bone until he remembered everything. "You will, Marty, you will. Most of the drugs are out of your system, but remember what the doctor said. Because you were roofied, you might never remember everything from when you were kidnapped. You also received a huge knock on the head which caused your concussion. You went through hell during your twelve days in captivity. You have to be patient. The important things will come back to you, I promise."

"Kens…I need to know now. Whoever he is, he's coming for me I know it. He won't stop. I have to know what happened to me so I can protect myself.

Kensi looked at him in exasperation. "First of all Marty Deeks, there's a police guard on your room right now. Second, I'm here and if I'm not, Sam or Callen will be. No one is getting past us. Third, you need your rest to heal. Don't worry about protecting yourself right now, let us do that."

"But Kens…it's driving me crazy not knowing the details. They're like…like wisps of smoke all around me. I can see them there swirling around me, but I can't access them and it's frustrating as hell, really it is."

"Do you want to know who took you?"

"You know? Hell yes, I want to know. Why didn't you tell me before? Who was it?" Deeks wasn't absolutely sure if he wanted to know or not, but he wasn't going to let his fear stop him from helping out on the case and he wasn't about to admit his fear to Kensi.

"Do you remember the list of suspects we compiled when you were shot?"

"Yeah, so what? That was a long time ago; its when I also told you I shot a man when I was 11."

"There were two men on the list you said would hate you until the day you die."

"That's right, I did say that…ummm, let me think…what were their names? Yes!…Ivan Lee and Michael Thompson…that was their names. Do you think one of them was involved in all of this?" He waved his hands over his body while looking at Kensi in confusion. He hadn't thought of the two men since he was shot and for years before that.

~,~,~

"We're identified Ivan Lee as the man who masterminded your abduction." What can you tell me about him?" Kensi had her fingers crossed behind her back that he wouldn't get upset at the mention of his captor. Thoughts of vengeance raced through her mind the longer he remained silent. _"I'm going to find that bastard And when I do, he's going to be sorry he ever laid a finger on you. I'm…well all of us are going make him pay. By the time Sam, Callen and I are done with him, let alone Hetty; he's going to wish he'd never been born."_

She was still waiting for him to tell her about Lee when her cell phone rang. She was thinking of ignoring it but answered when she saw the caller id identify it was Hetty on the other end. "Hi Hetty."

"How is Marty doing Kensi?" Hetty asked.

Kensi mentally shook herself when she heard Hetty not only call Deeks Marty, but her Kensi. She was usually more formal when addressing her agents, rarely calling them by their first names. _"She must be more concerned about Deeks than I thought. Of course, he's always saying he's her favorite…maybe there's a kernel of truth there after all."_

"He's awake again and doing better. I just told him we believe Ivan Lee was behind his kidnapping." She looked over at Deeks to find he was still deep in thought. "The police team is here and standing guard outside his hospital room. I'm inside with him which is where I'm going to stay."

"Very good. Tell him we're sending good thoughts his way. We all want to see him back. Reassure him that his job is waiting for him as soon as he's ready to return. I've already talked to his doctor about getting him some sessions with Nate if he's available. If he's not available, Nate will send me some recommendations. I've got to return to ops."

"I'll do that Hetty." Kensi ended the call and was startled when Deeks began talking.

"What did she want?" Marty asked.

"She called to check up on you. You heard me tell her you're doing better. She said everyone is sending good thoughts your way and wanted me to tell you your job is waiting for you whenever you're ready to come back to work. She also said you would be talking to Nate or someone he recommends as well. She was really worried about you Marty. Hell, we all were."

Marty sighed. "I'm sorry. I worried all of you. But you've got to know; I knew you were all looking for me. It's one of the things that helped."

~,~,~

Ops was buzzing with activity that morning. Nell and Eric were searching for anything new they could find out about the kidnapping. Sam and Callen were going over everything they had to date and discussing Deeks' condition and what they would do to the person who hurt him when they found him. Both men were filled with anger over what he had been through along with some guilt over not finding him sooner. They had both admitted their amazement at his ability to get away from his captors in the state he'd been in.

They were still discussing how Deeks continued to surprise them when Nell appeared at the top of the stairs with a big smile on her face and called down to the bullpen, "We found the building Deeks came out of when he escaped!" Sam and Callen dashed upstairs with Hetty right behind them. Once everyone was in ops, Nell and Eric, working like the well-oiled team they were, took turns describing what they found.

Nell began "As you know, Deeks was found on the 1300 block of South Mansfield Ave, just north of West Pico Blvd."

"Backtracking from there, we found video footage of him stumbling out of an abandoned building about two miles down West Pico. It's a brick building too, which matches the room we saw Deeks in." Eric interjected. "The address is on your smart phones."

"We accessed all the available cameras around the building for ten hours before and two hours after Deeks was found. This is what we got." Nell put camera footage up on the screen. "As you can see a man enters the building at 11 pm, about nine hours before Deeks was found. The cameras don't get a great look at his face but by creating a composite from all of the pictures with his face in them and then running facial recognition we were able to match it to Ivan Lee. It is a 90% probability match. Now we have proof we can take to court if we have to."

"Lee was in the building with Deeks for about an hour or so before he left again. Around 7 am, seven hours after he left, Deeks stumbles out of the building and begins working his way down Pico." Eric took over smoothly. "As you can see from the footage, he looks like he's about to pass out. I don't know how he was able to get two miles down Pico to where Ben found him, but he did. From what we can see, it looks like he's hallucinating as he's moving along."

"What I can't understand is why no one tried to help him" Nell was disgusted with her fellow man at the moment. "Anyone can tell he needed help. Wasn't the blood and bruises enough for someone to see how bad off he was? About an hour after Deeks stumbles out of the building, we've got Ivan Lee returning in a car and then leaving again on foot after about 10 minutes."

Eric continued "We lost Deeks for a few minutes on Pico, then found him again as Ben Davis recognizes him. Keep watching the video…did you see that?" Eric turned to the team behind him.

"See what?" Callen asked.

"Right there; about 10 minutes after Ben Davis finds Deeks. You guys had just arrived on scene…" Eric pointed to the plasma where a man was watching from in back of the crowd of people gawking along the sidewalk. "It's him, it's Ivan Lee."

Nell took over again. "We were able to track him back to the building where he stayed for another 30 minutes or so, then left in a 1995 black Camaro. I wasn't able to pull the license plate number. The camera angle wasn't right. We're running a DMV search on black Camaro's now to see if we can find his. Since that time, no ones come into or out of the building so I'm not sure if they abandoned it or we've just missed them."

"Excellent work Miss Jones, Mr. Beale." Hetty turned to the senior team members and began issuing orders. "Mr. Callen, I'm calling Lt. Bates to see if he wants in on breaching the building. Start making plans on how you want to do it. I'll come talk to you as soon as I'm finished." Hetty returned to her office to call Lt. Bates intent on setting up a joint operation to see if anything could be found at the location Nell and Eric had identified. _"It's about time we had some good news for a change. I want that bastard."_

~,~,~

"Lt Bates, we've found the location where Mr. Deeks was being held. We're going there to see what we can find. Your team should be with us when we breach the building," she informed him before giving him the address of the abandoned building at 26000 Robertson.

"Hell yes, my team should be there. Tell me when and where we'll set up before we go in." Lt. Bates thought the news was the best he'd heard in two weeks. _"Hang in there Deeks. You concentrate on getting better now you're being treated and we'll concentrate on catching the assholes who did this to you, I promise. They're going away for a very long time if I have anything to say about it."_

Hetty gladly provided an address where the two teams would meet and discuss how they were going to conduct the operation. She knew from what the wonder twins found out that the building was probably abandoned by now, but was hopeful they would find something to help them not only find the men responsible for Marty's condition, but arrest them before they could do anything else. "Can you meet us at 24650 Robertson Blvd. in two hours to coordinate with my team? That's about 2 blocks away from where Mr. Deeks was held."

"We'll be there. I'm looking forward to catching the bastards." With that statement, Bates hung up the phone.

Proceeding into the bullpen where Callen and Sam were waiting, Hetty issued additional instructions. "Mr. Callen, you're leading the team to breach the building. Pick two additional agents to go with you and Mr. Hanna. I want Miss Blye to stay and protect Mr. Deeks. Until we have these men in custody, I don't want to take any chances might still be able to get to him again. Meet with Lt. Bates at 24650 Robertson Blvd. which is about two blocks from where Mr. Deeks was held. I told him our team would be there by 4 pm to coordinate the operation."

"On it Hetty. Sam, let's get Jonathan Kravitz and Emilio Kennedy to help us." They left ops with renewed purpose, collecting the two additional men then all four of them left the mission.

Hetty returned to ops. "Miss Jones, Mr. Beale; access all the cameras in the area to provide cover for the team. I don't have to tell you to keep in touch with them through coms. You both know your jobs. I'm going back to my office to inquire about Mr. Deeks' condition. Call me when the team is in place. I want to be here when they breach the building."

~,~,~

Hetty called Kensi to give her the news. When Kensi answered she informed her, "We found where Mr. Deeks was held and are getting a team together to breach the building as we speak."

"That's great Hetty! Can I tell Deeks?"

"If you think he can handle the news without getting upset, I think it would be good for him to know we're making progress on bringing the people who did this to him to justice. Someone will let you know what we find after we've searched the building where he was being held."

"Thanks Hetty."

Kensi ended the call and looked at Marty.

"What was that about?" he asked her. He knew it had something to do with him. He was tired of not knowing what was going on and even though he was nervous about what he might hear, he wanted to know.

"Nell and Eric found out where you were being held. The team is putting a plan together to storm the building. Maybe we'll get lucky and catch the people who did this to you.

~,~,~

The NCIS team met up with Lt. Bates and his team. Callen provided everyone the details of the building they were entering and what they hoped to find. "I want your team to go in from the back of the building and clear it from there toward the front. Our team will enter through the front and do the same thing. We'll meet up in the middle if we don't find anything. Do you have any suggestions or information we don't have?"

"Detective Jameson knows the building better than any one. He's actually been inside it on more than one occasion." Lt. Bates turned to the detective in question "Det. Jameson, give us a run-down on the inside of the building."

Det. Jameson looked nervous as he prepared to describe what the inside of the building looked like. He calmed down as soon as he began talking. "There are four closed offices along each side of the building with several more rooms at the back. They were put in about 10 years ago; each one is about 10 x 15 feet in size. The rooms at the back are smaller than that, but not by much. Before the offices and rooms were added, the main floor was a single large room. There's also a second floor; well it's more like a catwalk than a second story, with rooms along the edges of the building. At the back of the building is the loading dock with bay doors and a regular door on the left side. The rooms at the back I mentioned earlier are on the right side of the loading dock."

"There is only the one door at the front of the building and it opens up on what used to be the packing floor. That building has been used for everything from lumber, fertilizer and other dry goods, to small animal processing and shipping."

"Each office has a window facing the outside; both those on the ground floor and those around the catwalk. My best guess is that Det. Deeks was being held in one of the ground floor offices." Det. Jameson completed his run-down and stood looking at Lt. Bates for further instructions.

Lt. Bates was silent as he reviewed the information Det. Jameson had provided, then he and Callen shared a look. "I like your plan. It sounds good Agent Callen. I want to make one change. Once we're inside, let's split up and have half of each team clear the second floor while the other half clears the first floor."

"Sounds good. You all heard the man." Callen announced looking around at everyone. "Does anyone have any questions before we begin?"

No one spoke up so after a couple of moments Callen stated "Okay, let's do this. Let Lt. Bates and me know when you're in place and we'll breach the building from both directions at the same time. Everyone, call out if you find anything. Do you all have your earwigs in place and are they working?"

Everyone nodded yes to Callen's question so the teams proceeded to their places and one-by-one notified Callen and Lt. Bates when they were ready.

Callen and Sam shared a glance once everyone had called in. "On my mark…three…two…one…Breach, breach, breach! " Callen called over coms and the teams entered the building to begin clearing it.


	24. Chapter 23: Marty's Prison Found

Here's another long chapter for you.

What are the teams going to find in the warehouse? What will their thoughts be? Thoughts are in quotes and italics.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Harry Denton, James Madison, Jonathan Kravitz and Emilio Kennedy.

My beta, nherbie, is an angel. I don't know what I would do without her.

To all of my reviewers, you are all amazing. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. it means the world to me.

Don't stop now. Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 23 - Marty's Prison Found

Kravitz and Kennedy were sent up to the second floor while Callen and Sam began clearing the first floor. Sam went left to the first office while Callen went right. Both rooms were clear and empty inside. They then proceeded to the second rooms on each side. Callen carefully opened the door to the second office on the right and stopped dead in his tracks before yelling over coms "I've found the room where Deeks was held. It's clear, there's no one in here now. Everyone, keep looking for anything else you can find while I look around in here.

He went to the table along the wall which still held an array of drugs and syringes as well as the cattle prod, the whip and the cane he had witnessed Lee use on Deeks. He shook his head in anger as he catalogued each item on the table. He ran out of evidence bags before he ran out of evidence. "Sam" he called "I need more evidence bags in here."

"Coming" Sam replied.

While waiting for Sam, Callen went over to the chair they had seen Deeks tied to and found the dried pool of blood underneath it. It was larger than he was expecting but he wasn't surprised. They had all known that Lee had tortured Deeks more times than they had seen on the videos. His jaw tightened and he clenched his fists once again as he remembered those videos and everything Deeks had been put through. He shook his head trying to get the images out of his mind so he could focus on the task at hand but it was proving difficult. Somewhere along the way, Deeks had become someone he cared about and he had trouble dealing with his emotions seeing the items in front of him with Deeks' blood still on them.

He was still standing there when Sam arrived. Sam took one look at him knowing what he was thinking. "Let it go for now G. We have a job to do if we're going to capture these bastards."

"Yeah, I know…but seeing the blood, it brought it all back. How Deeks ever survived 12 days with this maniac is beyond me." He turned to Sam with a troubled look on his face "What if he doesn't come back from this? It hasn't even been a year since Sidorov tortured him and you know it took quite a while for him to get back to normal after that. How much more can he take before he breaks? How long is it gonna take for him to recover from the injuries to his body, let alone come to terms with everything that's happened." Callen sighed "You know I had my doubts about his ability to return to the job after the torture, but he proved me wrong. Let's hope he does so again. I've seen a lot of things I'd rather forget in this line of business and I've had to do some things that still haunt me to this day, but seeing what he went through and the condition he's in right now…it's one of the worst things I've ever seen. I want this bastard Sam, I want him badly. I want to see him pay for what he's done to Deeks; hell to all of us for that matter."

"I know G, I know." Sam was as worried about Deeks as he was. "But you know what I've realized over the last year or so? I've come to the belief that Deeks is a lot stronger than he looks, a hell of a lot stronger. He may look 'delicate' and he may whine about the smallest things, but he's just being Deeks when he does that. He's one of the most annoying, irritating, think outside the box person I've ever met. But weak he is not. He's the exact opposite of weak. I can honestly say I've rarely met anyone as strong as he is. And don't forget he's got a stubborn streak a mile wide. Sure, it took him a while to come to terms after what Sidorov did to him, but I've come to believe that with Kensi by his side, he'll overcome this too. And we're gonna be there for him whenever he needs us. We're not gonna let him pull away from us this time."

Callen shook his head once more, "You're right. Let's get back to cataloging all of this. I'm going to talk to Bates."

~,~,~

"Where are you Bates?" Callen asked as he left the room where Deeks had been kept.

"I'm here, right outside the last room on the left" came the reply. Lt. Bates came to the door of the room and waved at him.

He walked over to where Lt. Bates waited for him. "There is a ton of evidence in the room I found. I would like your forensics team to sweep the room for any fingerprints or other trace evidence. Sam and I have already started bagging the bigger pieces of evidence for processing but I'm sure we've missed a lot that forensics can find. It's bad in there Bates, really bad; there's blood on the walls and floor. I want these people. They've got to be stopped and they have a lot to people answer to for what they did to Deeks."

"I want them as much if not more than you do Agent Callen. He's my detective after all. Have you heard anything more from the hospital?"

"Not yet. The last I heard he had a very restless night. Kensi is with him now and is going to tell him about Lee. She told me he's afraid the 'man' who abducted him is going to try to get to him in the hospital. I bet you he tries to get Kensi to leave because he'll feel like he can't protect her right now. He almost died and he's worried about protecting everyone around him and not thinking of himself. Has he always been like that?"

Lt. Bates shook his head. "He's a pain in my ass, but he's one of the most loyal, dedicated cops I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Just don't tell him that. He would never let me live it down."

Callen laughed. "I hear you. He can really be annoying when he tries. Kensi said he's still fuzzy on a lot of the details of his abduction due to the drugs still in his system, but other than that his memory seems to be intact, thank God. He's beginning to remember some of what happened. Kensi will pass on any pertinent details he remembers."

"I'm glad. The kid didn't deserve what happened to him. I've put a police guard on him too. Hetty and I agreed it was necessary. If we're right and Ivan Lee is behind this, he'll stop at nothing to get to Deeks again. That's one of the things that makes him so dangerous. That and his intellect."

~,~,~

Deeks touched his face and hair in agitation and looked up at Kensi finally. "What happened to me while I was missing? I don't remember a lot of it and I need to know Kens. I need to know."

"Do you really want to hear about everything that happened to you right now?" Kensi didn't want to get into the conversation of how he ended up in the hospital, but if she knew Marty Deeks at all, she knew he wouldn't let it go. He was like a dog with a favorite bone when he wanted something. He would keep pushing and pushing; becoming as annoying as possible to achieve his goal.

"Yeah, I do…I _have_ to Kens. I can't hide from it. Besides I…I don't want to go back to sleep yet…I know I'll have bad dreams." Marty ran his hands through his hair again before laying them in his lap.

"Okay, but you have to promise me you'll stay calm when I tell you. If you don't, I'm going to stop. The doctor doesn't want you to get upset." She looked deeply into Marty's eyes and continued "Do you promise?"

He glanced down at the bed then back up at Kensi. He whispered "I promise I'll do my best."

"Okay. Scoot over so I can sit on the bed next to you while I tell you what happened" Kensi told him.

"You missed me didn't you, Fern? I know I missed you and at least I remember you now…and the team…but I can't seem to remember details about what happened to me after I was grabbed or how I felt. I try to, but I can't keep hold of the memories…they slip through my fingers like water."

She sighed because they had been over his memory problems in the ambulance and several times in the hospital. She told him again what the doctor had said about the drugs messing with his memory of events while he was a prisoner. She repeated the information she had given him in the ambulance. "Now hush or I won't tell you what happened to you."

"Bossy woman" came the retort from Deeks as he carefully moved over. He was grinning as he said it and was clearly beginning to act more like her Marty.

Kensi took a deep breath and began "You disappeared…it was 13 days ago now. You and I were having our one night a week apart, so no one realized you were missing until the next morning when you didn't show up for work. Hetty came into the bullpen about 10:30 and asked if any of us had seen you or heard from you that morning. None of us had and I got a sick feeling something had happened. I was going to run by your apartment, but Hetty wanted Sam and Callen to go with me." Her eyes were haunted and her hands were trembling as she remembered how frightened and worried she'd been. She took another deep breath and let it out before continuing. "Anyway, we went by your apartment to see if you were sick. Instead we found the place trashed and Monty hurt on the floor."

Marty interrupted her "Monty…I remember I heard him yelp." He felt a moment's relief that he remembered hearing Monty before he realized Kensi said he had been hurt.

"Wait…they hurt Monty? Those bastards! Who does that? They're not human." Marty was incensed that anyone would hurt an animal. "Tell me how he's doing. Is he okay? He's okay right?" He was so worried about Monty, he momentarily forgot about the pain he was in.

"Don't worry, he's okay. I took him to your vet and had him checked out."

"Who's taking care of him? Is he having fun? He's not all by himself is he?"

"Breathe Marty, breathe. You're babbling. He's not alone. Sam's taking care of him so he's having lots of fun with Kamran."

"I'm not babbling" Marty retorted. She gave him a look that clearly disagreed with what he had just said. "Okay, maybe I was babbling a little, but give me a break; I've been injured! Is Sam taking good care of him? Is he happy?" He needed the reassurance that Monty was okay and happy.

"Yes, Sam is taking good care of him. He's having the time of his life. Now do you want to know what happened to you or not?"

"Yeah, I do…I'm sorry…I don't mean to keep interrupting you."

"It's okay. Anyway, two days ago you were found disoriented and drugged to the gills by Ben Davis, a fellow cop. He's the one that called into the station for an ambulance to be sent out and let everyone know you'd been found. He's known you for years, but you were so out of it you didn't recognize him."

He blurted out. "Ben Davis found me? I don't remember seeing Ben. I've been at his house. I know his family. How could I not remember seeing him? Damn, I really must have been out of it. I should thank him and apologize." Marty remembered Ben and being invited to his house on numerous occasions which made not being able to remember the man finding and helping him more even frustrating than some of the other things he was having trouble remembering. Ben was a friend; even if he didn't see him as often anymore since he became the liaison between LAPD and NCIS, it didn't make him feel any better about not being able to remember him.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You may never remember all the details of the last two weeks due to the drugs forced on you. You know that."

"Okay, I hear you. I just…it's just…okay…okay, you're right" he sighed.

"Did you just say I was right?" She snorted. "Will wonders never cease! I think you're finally learning."

"Oh ha, ha Kens." Marty grumbled good naturedly.

Kensi gently brushed some stray curls away from his eyes. "To make a very long story short for now, you were abducted from your apartment by two men. Another man spent days torturing you for fun. He video taped it and sent us links to a website to show us what he was doing to you." she spat.

"You were drugged with PCP, LSD, the date rape drug rophypnol, along with several other combinations of drugs; I don't even know what they consisted of. All I know is those drugs caused you excruciating pain. We don't know everything he did to you, but we do know he beat you on the soles of your feet with a cane and also used it all over your body. He beat you with his fists, half-drowned you in ice water on numerous occasions and would hang you from the ceiling with your arms tied and then shock you with a cattle prod. When he was torturing you, he never asked you any questions that we know of. He just kept talking about having fun. He was enjoying causing you pain, the sick bastard! He…he…called you his piñata when he was talking about having a party." Her eyes filled with tears as she told him that. "And he wanted us to watch because he wanted us to feel the pain you were in as well as feeling helpless to stop it."

As she finished relating those facts to him, a fierce look came over her face; one he never wanted her to turn on him. Her eyes were full of fire and she looked like she would enjoying gutting the people who had hurt him. It made him afraid for her, but also made him realize once again how much she truly cared for him.

She snarled "When we find him; and we _will_ find him I'm going to cut his nuts off and make him eat them. I'll take great pleasure in making him sing soprano, among other things."

As she related the details of what he had gone through, his face paled until he was as white as a ghost. He was concentrating hard on staying calm but the more he heard, the harder it became for him to keep himself grounded. He kept getting flashes of what she was talking about and remembrances of the pain he had been put through. He finally squeezed her hand and managed to choke out "Enough…enough Kens…I've heard enough for now…stop would you…just give me a minute."

He took long shuddering breaths trying to stop his stomach from rejecting everything he'd managed to put in it. He closed his eyes concentrating on keeping his heart rate down and not vomiting up what little he had eaten as his stomach continued churning from the bile flooding it. How someone could do something like that to another human being was incomprehensible to him. To know it had been done to him not once, but over and over again, was too much to hear. He was almost glad he couldn't remember the previous two weeks.

Kensi took one look at his ashen face and began berating herself. _"Shit! I've made things worse! He wasn't ready to hear what he went through. I shouldn't have listened to him when he asked me to tell him what happened. I should have known better! He's still recovering and this may make him relapse! Look at him, he looks like he's going to explode into a million tiny pieces and it's all because of me and my big mouth. I made a mess of everything, I'm so stupid!"_ The guilt she was feeling began to overwhelm her as she started to pull her hand away from his to give him some space, but he wouldn't let her go, he held on even tighter.

"Don't leave." He begged her. "I'll be okay in a minute…just…just give me a minute, please." He grabbed her other hand pulling her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her while closing his eyes. "I'll be fine…I mean good…really. If you're here with me, I'll be okay…give me a minute. I promise, it's okay. I had to know. It was…it was harder to hear than I thought it would be, that's all."

Once he got his emotions and stomach back under control, he continued. "I'm so sorry. It must have been especially hard for you, sugarbear."

"Why are you apologizing? You have nothing to be sorry for. What do you mean hard for me?" She looked at him in disbelief. "You're the one who was tortured."

He sighed. "I meant it must have been hard to watch what he did to me. I'm sorry you had to see me like that." He held her as close as possible in his arms with his head on her shoulder as he continued. "I…I remember…his laugh…he had the most evil laugh Kens…he sometimes laughed when he was torturing me," he shuddered and stopped for a moment.

"I remember his hands when he was injecting me; his fists when he was beating me, he enjoyed hurting me. I…I knew somehow he wanted me to beg him to stop but I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. It was one of the the only ways I could defy him. He never told me his name…and like you said, he never asked me any questions…never. He kept repeating that we knew each other and…and that I destroyed his life. I…I couldn't imagine what I had ever done to him to make him abduct me, keep me locked up for days and torture me. It almost makes it worse to know that he made sure you all saw what I was going through. If I didn't know now that Ivan Lee was behind my kidnapping, I would wonder why the entire team was made to watch. But now that I know it was him, I understand everything including why he did it. He's one sick, mean bastard and it must have given him a great deal of pleasure rubbing your faces in my pain. God, I'm so sorry Kens."

"Marty, what did I just say?"

He pulled back so he could look at her. His head was tilted down and he was looking up through his bangs like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "That I have nothing to apologize for."

"That's right, you don't" Kensi leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

~,~,~

"Marty? Earth to Marty."

"Wha…oh…sorry Kens. I was thinking about Ivan Lee and lost it there for a little bit."

"Can you tell me anything that can help us find him? Anything?"

Marty shuddered. He really didn't want to talk about the man, but if he was the one who abducted him, anything he could remember would be helpful in finding him. "Shit! I don't know Kens. I'm not sure there's anything I can tell you to help catch him. He's a serial killer. He was found guilty of murdering several children. I was the first officer on the scene of his last crime. When I found him…umm…" Marty had to pause for a moment because his throat was closing up and he could feel tears pooling in his eyes. It took him a couple of minutes before he managed to choke out. "When I found him…God Kens…he was holding the heart of his victim in his hands and had the most evil smile on his face that I have ever seen."

He stopped again and looked away from her trying to get himself under control. The tears in his eyes began to overflow and his throat was tight with emotion. He swiped at the tears as a few slipped down his face then ran his hands through his hair before continuing once again. "It was…God…it was one of the worst things I've ever seen…he tortured and murdered them…for fun…and then would cut parts of them off. He kept them as trophies. He was going to kee…keep the last little girl's heart for his trophy. I…it was the first brutal crime I was involved in as a cop and he was the first truly evil person besides my father I had ever come in contact with. I…I'd only been on the force for about a year and was still a street cop. I…I sometimes have nightmares about it to this day." He looked at her with turbulent eyes.

"He's a psychopath Kens. Nothing is ever his fault. He blamed me for everything since I was the first officer on the scene."

"That's crazy!"

"Hence the word psychopath." He shrugged his shoulders, then hissed at the pain in his ribs. "He was convinced he did nothing wrong. That I framed him for the murder and twisted his words beyond recognition in my testimony. He told me he would move heaven and earth to get to me. I didn't really worry about it because he was going to prison for life…you know how people react when they hear they're going to be put away. I didn't think it was unusual. I guess I was wrong…again."

"Marty, you couldn't have known this was going to happen. Don't beat yourself up over this. It isn't your fault. It's the fault of the asshole who took you." She could almost see him beginning to blame himself but wasn't about to let him.

He slumped back against the pillows but kept Kensi's hand in his. His thoughts were troubled and filled with guilt. "But, don't you see Kens…I'm a cop, I should have known. I keep screwing things up. Some cop I am."

"Deeks!" Kensi yelled.

Marty was startled, jerking upright then hissing in pain once again. "What?"

"I'm going to kick your ass from here to next Sunday if you don't stop blaming yourself. It's…not…your…fault! Are you hearing me?"

"I hear you," he mumbled. He looked down. "It's just…blaming myself…its what I'm good at." She remembered him saying something similar after he was shot by Vakar's men to get to her and it broke her heart a little.

"Okay, stop that right this minute. Got it?"

"Yes, mom." he quipped.

"Besides, you're good at a lot more things than blaming yourself" she replied.

"What things would those be Fern?" He looked at her with a slight grin curling his lips.

"That's a topic for another time Marty. I don't think you would be at your best right now." she replied in a sultry tone of voice.

He looked at her as a slight blush began coloring his cheeks. He couldn't think of a single thing to say. When she saw the blush, she smiled then reached out and once again brushed some hair carefully away from his forehead before taking his hands back in hers. She found herself doing that a lot lately. She tried to be very careful because she didn't want to accidentally hit one of the many cuts and bruises he was sporting.

"I bet I would do okay if you're gentle with me Princess. What to give it a try? We could put a chair in front of the door."

"Oh, you think so do you? Just okay though? Give it a little time and you'll do much better than 'okay'. I promise, we'll explore that topic thoroughly later. Back to the case right now." She scooted a little closer to him. "Could Lee have hired someone to do this to you?" She had a gut feeling that Ivan Lee had been planning Marty's abduction for a very long time. She had learned over the years to listen when her gut was trying to tell her something so she wasn't going to ignore the feelings she had.

"I guess it's possible. But what would he pay with? He wasn't rich by any means and what he did have went for lawyers and to satisfy lawsuits. He's been in prison for over a decade now.

Kensi debated with herself about whether or not she should tell Marty that Ivan Lee escaped from prison and finally came to the conclusion he should know even if it added to his stress at the moment. "Marty, I have to tell you something else that's going to upset you but you have try to stay calm, okay?"

"Okay, what is it?

"Ivan Lee escaped from prison a year ago."

"Oh God…that can't…shit, that changes everything…he's out? Then it was him torturing me, I know it. He wouldn't want anyone else to be in charge."

Marty's breathing sped up and his heart began racing. Kensi could only watch and hope he would be able to get himself under control. She did everything she could to help, continuing to hold his hand and running her other hand through his hair while she kept murmuring to him "Everything will be okay." As she continued carding her fingers through his hair, he was slowly getting himself back under control.

His eyes once again brimmed with tears as he remembered the small body laying in pieces on the floor of the room Lee had been found in and the manic smile on his face when he looked at Marty. He closed his eyes, running his hand through his hair again, then shook his head to try to get rid of the pictures and memories exploding in his brain. _"That man is truly evil…the look on his face when I found him…I still see it in my nightmares sometimes. Could it have been him; could he have been the man in the room? I didn't recognize the voice, but it's been years. Maybe he was trying to disguise it from me. He did say he knew me."_

"If Ivan Lee was the man torturing me, I…I'm…I'm lucky to be alive at all. If I hadn't escaped, he would have killed me, I know it." Marty's entire body shuddered in remembrance causing him to wince in pain. "He'll come for me…he won't stop Kens…he's going to come for me again…once he decides to do something, nothing stops him…he'll keep coming until he gets what he wants from me or he's taken out. He'll never stop."

"He's a monster Kens. And now that I know it's him, I understand why he made the videos. He did it because he's bat-shit crazy. That's the kind of person he is." Marty looked at Kensi with stormy blue eyes showing his anger and fear while he ran his hands through his hair over and over again as he tried to remember everything he possibly could about Lee and what he experienced as his prisoner.

Marty's thoughts continued down the logical path that led to the realization that anyone around him was in danger as well. The thought of Kensi anywhere near him when Lee came for him meant she'd be in as much danger as he was and scared him to death. His heart pounding, he pleaded with her. "Princess, you have to get out of here. You can't be around me right now…you're in danger and…I can't protect you with the shape I'm in. I need my gun, Kens. Promise you'll get me my gun."

"You don't have to protect me. I can take care of myself; besides, I'm not leaving you alone. But I will get Sam to bring you your gun…even though I don't think you'll need it." She looked deep into his eyes then kissed him hard on the lips, trying to distract him.

"Wow…that was…that was incredible! What was is for? Not that I mind of course. Nope" he popped the 'p'. "Didn't mind that at all." Marty was in a bit of a daze after the kiss but recovered and leery at Kensi with a twinkle in his eyes. "Can I have another one?"

"No…not right now anyway."

"Aw Fern, don't be like that. Come on, I know you want to." Marty looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"In your dreams Deeks…in your dreams!"

"I have a lot of dreams about us Kens; very, very vivid dreams…in technicolor." He watched as a blush blossomed on her face. He then reluctantly got back to the matter at hand. "You still shouldn't be around me. It's too dangerous."

"We're in danger every time we have a case Marty. As partners, we're unstoppable. We're a team and don't you forget it mister or I may have to kick that awesome ass of yours when you're feeling better.

"Is that before or after you ravage me, Kensalina? And me laying here injured and unable to defend myself." He wiggled his eyebrows at her causing a blush to once again stain her cheeks. She was glad they were alone in his room at the moment so no one would see how flustered she was.

"You're such a perv." she teased. "You've got a one-track mind, you know that?" She was smiling as she said it, actually relieved that he had thrown out a couple of quips. It gave her hope that everything would turn out okay.

Kensi watched as she caught glimpses of feelings of worry, dread, pain and other emotions sweep across his face. He was smiling at her while telling her he was okay, but she knew deep down he was frightened about Lee getting to him again. After what he had been through, she would have been more worried if he had totally ignored the feelings he was experiencing. She tried to encourage him. "Nell and Eric are looking into Lee's life and associates right now. They'll find something we can use to catch him, I know it." With the police guard on the door and the fact that she wasn't going anywhere, she wasn't too worried about anyone getting to Marty.


	25. Chapter 24: Visitors, And a Plan

Here's another long chapter for you. I'm on a roll here. What can I say. My minions are being very helpful at the moment which is a nice change!

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Jonathan Kravitz and Emilio Kennedy.

My beta, nherbie, never ceases to amaze me. She's always got a suggestion that makes the chapter better.

To all of my loyal reviewers, you know who you are. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. It means the world to me. To my Spanish reviewer, Muchas gracias por las palabras de las clases . Signifier mucho para mí qui todavía estás leyendo y disfrutando de la history. To all of my guest reviewers, thanks so much. I wish I could respond to you personally, but this will have to do.

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 24 - Visitors And a Plan

~,~,~

What Kensi couldn't know was that Ivan Lee was already working on a plan to get to him again. Ivan had sent Jimmy back to the hospital in the morning in Harry's place to see if he could find out anything about Deeks. He had Harry searching for a new abandoned building to use once they had the detective back. Jimmy got lucky when he saw the orderlies transferring Deeks to his regular room. He was able to follow them at a distance to that room and realized the long-legged brunette he had noticed earlier was staying in the room with him. He decided to wait for a while to see if he could find out anything else before he went down to his car to call Lee. He saw a large black man arrive and the leggy brunette leave, but didn't notice any other guards or any increased security around the detective and decided he should check in. He called Lee. "Boss, Deeks has been moved to room 528. There was a chick with him earlier and now there's a big black dude with him. But I haven't seen any police guards or extra security around him. He's still in pretty bad shape from what I overheard. He looked bad when I saw them wheel him into his room, but I overheard the doctor telling his team that he would recover with plenty of rest and care. Sorry Boss."

Ivan groaned in disappointment before he remembered this would give him more chances to torture Deeks. _"Damn, this might be even more fun than the first time I had him. I'll get to break him down all over again. And this time, he won't get away. I'll make sure of it. He'll be begging me to kill him before I'm through with him."_ Ivan had a thoughtful look on his face as he told Jimmy to take a break until Harry got back. "Go back to the motel and stay there until you hear from me or Harry."

"Sure thing boss." Jimmy drove the van out of the parking structure just before the police guard for Marty arrived so didn't see them. They had been dispatched by Lt. Bates to the hospital when LAPD and NCIS determined 'Leon' was in fact Ivan Lee. Jimmy proceeded to the motel after grabbing a bite to eat and then decided to take a nap.

A couple of hours later, Harry checked in with Lee by phone. "I found a place Boss. It's the old Hall of Justice on 210 W. Temple St. Its been abandoned since 1994 and it's big enough for what you want. It even has a basement that used to house the boiler room. No one would hear anything from inside that room. What do you think?"

"It sounds usable. I sent Jimmy to the motel. Pick him up and get back here to the Cedar street house. We'll take a look at the Temple St. building together. If I think it will work, I'll get things set up there while you two do a job for me. I want to grab Deeks from the hospital, maybe that chick too if she comes back to see him."

"Will do Boss. I'll get him and be there in about an hour." Harry started his car and drove to the motel he and Jimmy were staying at. Jimmy was already asleep when he arrived at their room. He looked around at the mess Jimmy had made with disgust. He then shook his shoulder to wake him up, but only got a groan out of the man. After trying unsuccessfully for several minutes, he leaned over and yelled into his ear. "Get up ya lazy bum! Now! The boss wants to see us. He has a job for us to do."

The shouting finally woke Jimmy up. He turned over and looked at Harry grumbling the entire time. "Okay, okay. Geez Harry, don't get your panties in a twist. I'm up. Let me get dressed and we'll go." Jimmy shambled out of bed, hurriedly dressed then followed Harry to his car, grumbling all the way.

Harry drove both of them to the Cedar street house where they met up with their boss. As soon as Jimmy saw Lee, he stood up a little straighter and tried to brush his hair back off his face. Anything to look a little better. The look on Lee's face didn't bode well for anyone who ran afoul of him.

"We're going to check out the building Harry found. It's at 210 W. Temple St. Harry, you're driving. Jimmy, grab those bags. I have some toys in there I'm going to be using on Deeks once we have him back."

"Sure Boss." came identical replies.

~,~,~

After checking the Temple St. building and declaring it perfect for his plans, Lee outlined what he wanted Harry and Jimmy to do.

"I want Deeks back and you two are going to help me get him. I'm not done playing with him yet. I can't believe he got away from me in the condition he was in, damn it all to hell! Jimmy what can you tell me about the nursing schedule around him? Are they always checking on him or is he mostly by himself?"

Jimmy replied carefully "I didn't see many visits by the nurses boss. The only times I saw them go into the room was when they were giving him his medication or taking him somewhere for more tests. It looked like they checked on him every four hours or so. That hot dark-haired chick or that black dude was in his room all the time though. She's was with him when I left and I overheard the nurses say she's staying the night in his room."

"She's nothing to worry about, she's just a girl. You two should be able to handle her. In fact, now that I think about it, grab them both. He might not want anything to happen to her, so if she's grabbed too, I can make him suffer even more. Beside, it will be fun to hurt her in front of him. And it will make her suffer as she watches me torture him." Ivan's face reflected the enjoyment he was looking forward to when he had both Kensi and Deeks captive.

"I want you to go in tonight when things are quiet and there aren't any visitors. Here's my plan." Ivan outlined his plan to the two men in front of him. It was a relatively simple plan. They were to sneak into the room, grab them both and then get them out of the hospital in a laundry cart.

~,~,~

Marty's memory continued to improve throughout that afternoon as the last of the drugs left his his system. He remembered everyone and everything except for the events surrounding his torture by Lee. There were blank spots in his memories from just after his abduction until he was admitted to the hospital. He was still in a lot of pain from the broken ribs, and the beatings he had endured. His bruises were quite colorful, with the older ones becoming a sick-looking yellow while the newer ones were changing from the deep purple they had been to blue and green. Headaches from the concussion he sustained still plagued him, but they were improving as well. Overall, he knew things were looking up as far as his health was concerned.

Kensi refused to leave his side, even when he told her he would be fine with the police outside his door. "I'm not leaving you alone Marty. I'm here for the duration so you might as well give in to the inevitable. All in, remember? The team will be visiting later today, so I'll get something to eat then and Sam is going to relieve me in the morning so I can go home and change clothes. I just got you back and Ivan Lee is out there somewhere."

"What do you mean Ivan Lee is out there somewhere? He's in prison isn't he?

No Marty, he escaped; remember I told you that this morning."

After thinking about it for a moment or two, he remembered. "That's right, you did. I'm still fuzzy I guess. Damn it!"

"I'm not taking any chances that he might get to you again." She looked at him with fire in her eyes daring him to continue arguing.

"Okay…okay…I give up." He smiled at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "How did I ever manage without my Bad Ass Blye to protect me?" He looked down at his lap and then glanced up at her through his bangs. "I'm so glad you're on my side and in my life. I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Have I told you lately how much you mean to me…how much I love you?"

Kensi's face as she looked at him was full of love. " Yes, you have Marty. I love you too."

~,~,~

Marty finally convinced her that with the police outside his room and visits from the rest of the team scheduled throughout the afternoon, she could take the break she had mentioned earlier to get something to eat.

Kensi had been gone about 30 minutes when Nell and Eric arrived. Nell took one look at him, began crying and gathered him carefully into her arms for a long heartfelt hug. "I'm so glad to see you looking a little better. You listen to your doctors now. We need you back."

"I will Nellasaurus. Thanks for finding me." Marty hugged her back, wiped her tears and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he thanked her.

Eric stood back, then put his hand out for a shake. "You look like crap Deeks, but still better than when we last saw you. Is Kensi taking good care of you?" Looking around, he didn't see her "Where is she anyway? I didn't think wild horses would get her out of your room."

"Yes, she's taking good care of me and keeping me in line. I finally convinced her to go get something to eat. She didn't want to go, but my amazing powers of persuasion finally convinced her that with the police outside the door, and friends coming by to visit, I would be okay for a little while." He grinned at Eric and gave him a high-five.

The three of them spent time talking about what was going on in ops but staying away from mentioning what had happened to him. The quiet conversation along with a few jokes and quips made by each one of them was a pleasant break for the detective. He was getting tired but was enjoying their company and didn't want them to leave to kept quiet. He should have know Nell would see right through his efforts to remain alert. The yawn caught him by surprise and he couldn't hide it from her. She saw it, smirked at him and signaled Eric.

"We're going to take off man." Eric stated. "You look like you could use a nap."

"I am getting tired, but I don't want you to leave. I've been enjoying this."

Nell reassured him "We'll be by to visit again. You concentrate on getting better."

He couldn't resist getting one last quip in. "Yes Velma."

~,~,~

Marty fell asleep a little while after the wonder-twins left. He didn't know how long he'd been sleeping when his cell rang. Nate was on the other end of the call and wanted to talk about what he'd gone through. They spent about thirty minutes together with Nate providing some very helpful ideas to help him come to terms with everything.

"How are you handling everything?"

"I'm doing okay."

"So, by okay you mean that you've been having nightmares and still trying to come to terms with being tortured by a madman for days on end." Nate wasn't going to let him get away with not facing what happened to him.

"Yes", he sighed. "I've been having one or more nightmares nearly every night. I sleep better when Kensi is here though. She's able to wake me up when one starts. We've actually been talking about what happened to me and how everyone, including me, felt during that time. I really am doing better Nate."

"That's good to hear but don't forget what I said. The more you talk about it out here, the less you're gonna have to work on it inside."

"I remember. What you told me helped a lot after Sidorov so I'm not going to make the same mistakes this time as I did then. I'm not going to pull away from everyone and hide. I may be slow, but I finally realized hiding from everyone and trying to fix things on my own doesn't work."

"That's good to hear but don't forget what I said. The more you talk about it out here, the less you're gonna have to work on it inside. Call me any time if you want to talk. You have my number. I'll call you again in a couple of days if I haven't heard from you to check in, okay?"

"Okay, Nate. I appreciate it man."

~,~,~

When Sam arrived, he handed Deeks' his gun. "Here's your gun. Kensi said you wanted it."

Marty took the gun gratefully and began checking it over. "Yeah, I do. Thanks. I feel better having it. I know Lee is coming for me Sam, I know it. I have to be able to help protect myself."

"Just don't shoot yourself by mistake." Sam quipped. Deeks looked at him with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Really…really! I'm a good shot and you know it. But I _am_ kind of impressed at the quip you just threw out there, big guy. I think that's the best one I've ever heard from you. I know it's at my expense of course but that's nothing new. I didn't know you had it in you. Did it hurt? Seriously, you didn't pull a muscle or anything did you?"

"Shut up Deeks."

"Shutting up Sam." Marty snarked.

~,~,~

Kensi was back when Hetty and Granger arrived together. Deeks had expected Hetty, the Duchess of Deception, to visit him. After all, she was his next of kin for medical purposes, but Granger was a surprise. As usual he looked pissed about something and stood there with a frown on his face. Hetty looked her favorite detective over very carefully. "Mr. Deeks, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Hetty."

She looked at him in silence with what he always thought of as her stare of death or as Granger called it, her 'gorgon stare'. As usual, her hands were crossed in front of her. The silence stretched until he began babbling. "Um. I'm more than fine. I'm good…in fact I'm great. I'm remembering more details now that the drugs are mostly out of my system. I'm not in as much pain. Kensi's helped a lot." He looked over at Kensi and smiled at her before turning his attention back to Hetty.

"Mr. Deeks, you may be 'fine' as you put it, but you're a long way from great. You still look like death warmed over which is actually an improvement from how you looked when you were first brought into the hospital. You were very close to death. You had us all rather worried."

"I was?" He looked at Kensi in shock. "I…I didn't think it was that bad…I…I didn't really think about it at all. I thought the drugs were the worst of it."

"You had been administered so many drugs, the levels in your blood were considered not only toxic, but life threatening. You'd been starved, and when you were found you were feverish and extremely dehydrated. You had a seizure in the ambulance. So yes, you were in very grave condition. I expect you to listen to your doctors. We need you back, alive and healthy."

It took a few minutes for Deeks to process what Hetty had told him. He really hadn't thought about how close he had come to death. The thought shook him when he realized that if he had died, his promise to Kensi would have been broken. As soon as he got past the revelation, he smirked at her. "I _knew_ I was your favorite. Callen didn't believe me when I told him, but I knew." Deeks looked over at his partner and smiled. "See Kensi, I _am_ her favorite."

"Shut up Deeks." she smiled at him taking the sting out of her words.

"Why does everyone keep telling me to shut up. Really…really?" Marty asked.

"Maybe it's because you're supposed to be resting, you think?" Kensi replied.

Hetty smiled to herself at the banter between the two partners. "I know you're getting better every day, but I mean it. Listen to your doctors. We need you back at the Mission on active duty and that won't happen until you're fully recovered." Hetty continued looking him over carefully. He was still extremely thin with colorful bruises over every part of his body that was visible; but his eyes had a little bit of a sparkle back in them which was encouraging.

Granger stood there continuing to stare at him in silence. It was beginning to freak him out when suddenly he extended his hand. "Get well, we need you at OSP. You're an integral part of the team. We're working with LAPD to catch the bastard who did this to you. Glad to see you doing better Deeks."

Marty was once again in shock. "Uh…thanks Director Granger."

"You're welcome." he growled. "Now shut up and take care of yourself." He gave Deeks a little grin as he told him to shut up.

"Again someone's telling me to shut up. Do you all think I talk too much?" He laughed when they all nodded their heads at him. Looking at Hetty he continued "I knew you guys would find me. I just had to hang on until you did."

"But we didn't find you Mr. Deeks. You rescued yourself. A very impressive showing, I might add. Has Nate got in contact with you yet?"

Deeks ran his hands through his hair before answering. "Yes, we talked for about 30 minutes earlier today. He's going to call again in a couple of days."

"Good. I expect you to cooperate fully with him. The entire team will be talking to Nate over the next several weeks."

~,~,~

His dinner tray arrived a little after Hetty and Granger left. His diet still consisted of small portions along with a small glass of milk. He looked at his dinner then turned his mournful expression on the nurse. "Why can't I have some real food? Please?"

The nurse had to be one of the few women on the planet immune to the look he gave her. But then she had been in the profession long enough to have seen it all. "You're not going to get your way Mr. Deeks. The doctor has ordered small meals for you along with reduced fluid and that's what you're getting."

"But I'm hungry." he pouted. The nurse gave him a look that clearly indicated she was unmoved by his words. As she left the room, Kensi heard him mutter under his breath "Nurse Ratched, you're one _mean_ woman."

Marty was startled when Kensi let out a bark of laughter jerking in reaction. When he did, he jarred his broken ribs causing a hiss to escape as he hugged himself to ride out the pain.

"Oh God, Deeks. I'm so so sorry! Are you okay? Should I call the doctor?" Kensi was beside herself and wanted nothing more than to take the pain away. She would have hugged him, but was afraid it would only make his ribs ache more so contented herself with grabbing his hand and rubbing her thumb over his palm.

"It's okay" Marty managed to huff. "Whew…give me a minute here. I moved wrong." He concentrated on taking slow breaths pulling as much air into his lungs as he could without causing any additional pain. "It's getting better now, seriously."

Once the pain was under control, Marty turned to Kensi and gave her his best pathetic look hoping she would take pity on him and give him some of her food. She had picked up a burger, fries and a shake from a fast food restaurant and the smell was enticing.

Kensi shrugged her shoulders and shook her head as she realized what he was trying to do. "The doctor has you on a restricted diet for a reason Marty."

"Kensalina…please," he begged. "I'm hungry. I'm a growing boy."

He looked at his dinner once again in disgust then turned to Kensi. "Can't I have a few french fries at least? Please? I won't tell anyone."

Kensi was having trouble not letting his wheedling get to her. She finally promised him she would talk to the doctor to see if he could graduate to more food per meal when he came in the next morning on rounds. "Try to think of something to take your mind off of food."

"I can think of a lot of things that will take my mind off my stomach Fern…a lot of things." His eyes were sparkling with mischief as he slowly looked her up and down before stopping at her face, looking at her with a leer. "A lot of very pleasant things. Things we can do together."

"You are such a perv. You have a one-track mind you know that?"

Marty smiled widely "What are you talking about? I didn't say anything…anything at all, Fern."

"Marty! You're in too much pain to be even thinking about what I know you're thinking about."

"You're not being any fun Sugarbear, no fun at all." Marty pouted. "If you would kiss me it would make everything better, you know."

"Oh really! I already kissed your owies earlier and now you want some more kisses? How old are you Deeks? Six?" Kensi kissed his forehead before continuing. "There, does that feel better?"

"Yes it does Kens." There was that husky tone of voice again and the twinkle in his eyes. "More please?" His face was full of mischief as he looked at her in anticipation.

"Maybe later Marty…maybe later. You'll have to get by with this for now" she whispered as she gave him one of the sweetest kisses he had ever received. It was a kiss full of promise; hope for the future; and happiness that he was getting better. Her kiss told him more than mere words could have and he felt more loved than he had in the 14 long days and nights without her. _"I missed this. I can't believe a case from so many years ago has caused so much trouble. I almost lost everything. There were times while I was in that room that I remember. I remember I didn't think I could take any more. I wanted it all to stop…the pain…the taunts…everything. It was so bad…so bad, I wanted to die. How could I have wanted that? I'd have lost you if I died. It must have been the drugs. They really messed with my head."_

They shared a look that promised eternity together. "Come lay beside me Sunshine, please."

"Are you sure I won't hurt you?" As he shook his head no and patted the bed beside himself, she climbed carefully into it and gathered him into her arms. He snuggled into her with one arm around her waist and put his head on her shoulder. He took a deep breath filling his nose with her unique scent which always made him want to hold her even closer. She looked over at him giving him a long gentle kiss. Before too long, both of them were sleeping.

~,~,~

At midnight, the police guard on Deeks' room changed. Officer Green looked into the room intending to introduce Kensi to the new men, but she was asleep beside Deeks so she decided not to disturb her. Turning to the new men who would be on guard until noon the next day she told them to introduce themselves to Kensi when she woke up. "Don't forget, the password is "noodles". Be sure you tell her that or she'll hurt you."

"Come on, that slip of a girl?" came the disbelieving reply from Det. Gordon Tompkins. "I could take her easily with one hand tied behind my back."

"Yeah, right. It's your funeral Tompkins." Officer Brooks interjected. "I've seen that "slip of a girl" as you so quaintly put it, in action. You don't want her on your bad side, believe me. She's lethal when she's pissed."

As he and his partner turned to go, he heard a snort come from Tompkins and some mumbled words "That little chick can't hurt me. I'd like to see her try." Brooks wished he was going to be around to see what Kensi Blye did to Tompkins if he didn't provide the password. He was a jerk who didn't think women should be in law enforcement; he had always been a jerk and he would always be a jerk. It would be good for him to be taken down a peg or two.

Richard Riley and Gordon Tompkins took up their positions outside Deeks' door, getting comfortable for the long shift they were facing. The hospital was quiet with the lights turned low due to the late hour so the two men were conversing softly when Kensi woke up. She heard sounds outside, so slipped carefully out of Deeks' hospital bed, padding silently to the door and checking the surroundings. She didn't recognize the two men outside his door, so slipped out and confronted them at gunpoint. "Identify yourselves and what you're doing here."

"What do you think we're doing here girly? Why don't you put that popgun away and take that cute little ass of yours back into the room. We've got you covered." Tompkins snorted, being an asshole as usual. Before he realized what was happening, Kensi had hit him in the stomach doubling him over, grabbed his hand putting him in a very painful arm lock, then pushed him up against the wall with his arm still in a very painful position. "Let me go you bitch!" he snarled while he struggled to get out of the hold she had on him. Kensi calmly applied more pressure to his arm and he finally stopped struggling.

"Listen up you moron." she spat at him. "Unless I hear the correct password from you in the next two seconds, I'm going to break your arm for you. I'm then going to kick you so hard in your lunchbox, your balls will end up in Ventura. You'll be singing soprano for a very long time. That is if I don't just shoot you as a dangerous felon attempting to kidnap the man asleep in the room behind me. You got me? I also expect an apology for your language just now."

Det. Riley was quietly enjoying the scene happening in front of him laughing to himself. He couldn't wait to tell Green and Brooks what Kensi had said and done to Tompkins. He didn't want her to get in trouble though so he spoke up "The password is "noodles" Agent Blye. You'll have to forgive my partner here. He's not house trained. His mother's lessons on manners and how to treat ladies obviously didn't take with him."

Giving Tompkins' arm one more quick push, Kensi let him go, putting her gun away but keeping her finger pointed at his face then turned to Det. Riley. "I remember you Det. Riley. It's Richard, right? Call me Kensi. Nice to see you again. What did you do or who did you piss off to get stuck with this piece of work?" she said nodding her head toward Tompkins. He was still against the wall trying to figure out what had just happened.

"I didn't piss anyone off that I know of, but for this assignment, he's my partner. I usually work alone." Turning to Tompkins, he gave him a shit-eating grin, "Brooks warned you about her. You should have listened. You only have yourself to blame partner."

Tompkins scowled at both of them as he moved his arm around trying to relieve the pain he was feeling.

Kensi stood there staring at Tompkins until he remembered she was expecting an apology from him. He didn't think he had anything to apologize for, but figured he'd better say something. "I'm sorry Agent Blye," he ground out. Kensi could tell it was an obviously insincere apology but she let it go. He was furious that a woman had been able to incapacitate him, but he wasn't going to let her know that. _"What a bitch! I bet she thinks she's better than me because she works for a federal agency. Well la-de-dah. What a load of crap. She's just a woman. She probably does paperwork for the real agents. That's all women are good for if you ask me. She'll get hers one of these days. I hope I'm there to see it. How dare she treat me like that; I'm an officer of the law."_

"Your apology is accepted. You're lucky that's all I did to you. And if you think I'm bad, wait until you meet my team. Sam, a former Seal, would have wanted to gut you for the smack you were talking to me. He could do it too and not leave a clue. Of course, he probably would have stood back and let me kick your package up around your ears instead. I'm well known for doing that. Callen would have hunt you down and made you regret being born and you would never see it coming. I'm giving you fair warning right now. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, we're clear, we're clear."

"Good. Now do your job and back up your partner. That's what you're here for. You're supposed to be guarding the patient in this room. The man who abducted and tortured him is planning on coming back for him and we're not going to let that happen. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am. Understood."


	26. Chapter 25: Desertion & Abduction Attmpt

I'm reposting this chapter because of a suggestion by one of my reviewers. Thank you anonkp; you were absolutely correct.

Uh oh, Who deserts their post and what ramifications does it have on Kensi and Deeks?

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters.

Once again nherbie has taken my chapter and made it so much better. If you haven't read her stories yet, you're missing out on some great ones!

To all of my most loyal reviewers including the guests, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. It means the world to me.

Before you leave, press that little button to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 25 - A Desertion and A Abduction Attempt

Kensi slipped back into bed next to Deeks facing him. He sleepily murmured "Ummm…good…you're back…missed you…'m cold…you're warm" as he snuggled up to her and promptly fell asleep again with his arm around her waist and his head on her chest. Kensi lay there for the longest time looking down at him. She agreed with Sam that he looked young and innocent when he was sleeping. The feelings from the last 12 long days and nights when she didn't know where he was or if she would ever see him alive again returned with a vengeance.

 _"I was in hell the entire time you were missing Marty. I was so worried I'd never get to tell you again how much I love you. I'd never get to touch you again or sleep with you again; never have kids with you when the time is right. I never thought I would want children, but with you, I do. You'll be an amazing dad, I know it. I look forward to the day when we're both ready to bring a little mutant ninja assassin into the world. You're going to be the best dad ever. I knew you would fight and fight hard to come back to me, but seeing you in those 'sessions'…watching what that monster was doing to you. Seeing your bruises and the blood…every time we saw you, you looked worse, weaker; you'd lost more weight…you lost so much weight…I was terrified. I know you would never want to leave me but it isn't always up to us, is it? I finally learned that lesson. It took long enough, but even though I knew you wouldn't want to leave me alone, if the worst had happened and you did, it would have been the final irrevocable loss for me. I would never have recovered. You're my beginning and my ending…my alpha and omega…my one and only."_

She planted a soft kiss on his lips, smiling to herself when he gave a low sleepy "mmmm…thas good" in his sleep. Sleep claimed her before too long and she followed him into slumber.

~,~,~

Riley was ready to throttle his partner. Tompkins was pissing and moaning to him about the way Kensi had treated him.

"She had no right to treat me like that. I'm an officer of the law. Who does she think she is. Just because she's an agent doesn't give her the right to disrespect me like that."

"Come on Tompkins. You brought it on yourself. If you hadn't treated her like some chick with no brains, none of this would have happened. You were warned, but you didn't listen."

"Yeah, right. You're taking her side because you want to get into her pants, man. I mean she _is_ a looker. I wouldn't mind getting me some of that."

"You are such an asshole."

No matter what Riley said, he knew Tompkins wouldn't let it go because he wasn't happy being bested by a woman. As usual he was acting like it was all Kensi's fault and he had done nothing to deserve his sore arm. _"What an absolute moron! He has no use for women except for sex, so it was great to see him get his ass kicked by one. Oh well, he'll get over it at some point; probably when someone else pisses him off. If he isn't complaining about something, he's not happy. If he doesn't straighten his act up, he's going to get another lesson I'm sure. And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy."_

A couple of hours after Tompkins' run-in with Kensi, Riley realized he needed a quick break. He checked his watch noting it was 2:55; then got up from the chair and stretched. "I'm going to hit the head. I'll be back in five minutes. Keep watch until I get back and then you can take a break" he told Tompkins.

"Yeah, sure. Just don't take all night Riley." Tompkins groused.

"Like I said, I'll be back in five. Don't go anywhere until I get back." He glared at him until Tompkins nodded his head.

"I heard you man, just don't take forever."

"I won't…just stay here until I get back, got it?"

"Yeah! I got it man."

"Good." He strode down the hallway and around the corner to where he knew the nearest bathroom was. He didn't want to leave Tompkins alone for long. He didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him.

Tompkins watched Riley go around the corner. As soon as he was out of sight, he decided he didn't care what the man had said. He needed a smoke; besides it wouldn't hurt if he stepped out onto the stairwell landing for a quick one. Nothing was going to happen in the few minutes he was away from his post. He figured no one would ever find out…and if they did…well he didn't really care. He couldn't understand why a cop like Deeks merited an armed guard on his room anyway and didn't feel it was worth his time to find out why. All he cared about was getting his smoke.

He was out of his chair and on his way to the landing before he completed his thoughts.

~,~,~

Harry and Jimmy had slipped into the hospital sometime around 2:30 and made their way to the floor where Deeks' room was and checked out the laundry closet. There were two carts there just waiting for them to use. They both felt like it was their lucky day. They arrived at the detective's door just after Tompkins took off for a smoke. They kept a sharp lookout but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. There were two chairs outside of the detective's room, but there were other chairs along the hallway so they thought nothing of it.

Riley hadn't come back from the bathroom yet and Tompkins had deserted his post after assuring Riley he would stay put so there was no one to stop the two men from entering room 528. They quietly moved to the door, slowly opened it and peered inside. The lights were low in the room but both occupants appeared to be sleeping. _"This is going to be so easy; a piece of cake. The cop is too hurt to put up a fight and that slip of a girl should go down easy as well. They'll never know what hit them. We'll be out of here in under ten minutes."_ Harry thought.

The two men stood in the doorway for several moments before Harry turned to Jimmy and motioned for him to follow him into the room. They slipped in carrying duct tape to bind both partners. The plan was to hide them in laundry carts and get them out of the hospital through the basement. Lee was waiting for them at the Cedar Street house. Harry closed the door behind him as Jimmy moved to one side of the bed with duct tape in his hands. Harry moved to the other side of the bed with his gun out in case either one woke up.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Kensi had heard the door open, reached under her pillow for her gun and was ready for anything. When she heard two men come into the room she tapped Marty on the arm. He woke up looking right into her eyes which she flicked to the side and then back at him in silent communication.

They had worked together long enough for him to know what she was thinking. He tapped her thigh to indicate he would follow her lead. Something had Kensi worried and he'd long ago learned to trust her instincts. He slowly reached under his pillow for his own gun keeping his motions smooth and unnoticeable to the men in the doorway; silently thanking Sam for bringing it to him.

Harry moved toward Marty as Jimmy reached for Kensi to bind her. Imagine his surprise when he found himself looking into the barrel of a gun. "Don't move asshole." Kensi growled as Marty pointed his own weapon at Harry.

"You heard the lady. Put the gun down, now."

Now, a reasonably intelligent person would have followed instructions, but no one had ever accused either Harry or Jimmy of being intelligent. Jimmy grabbed for Kensi's hand that was holding the gun while Harry threw his at Marty, hitting him in the head leaving behind a nasty gash, resulting in blood flowing down his face. Harry then turned to run from the room to get away. Marty didn't think, he reacted; jumping out of bed and running after Harry. He didn't feel the pain in his feet. He was moving on pure adrenaline as he caught up to him outside the door of the room and tackled him to the floor. Harry began punching him in the stomach trying to get him to let go so he could flee but Marty was hanging on grimly and trading punches with him as often as he could get one in. The pain in his feet was making itself known by now. It was excruciating to mention nothing of his head and his ribs but he had learned long ago how to ignore pain when he had to. If there was ever a time for him to do so, now was it. His only thought was to protect Kensi and to keep the man fighting him from getting away.

If Marty hadn't already been in bad shape from all the torture, he would have succeeded in subduing Harry, but as it was Harry got the upper hand and slammed his head against the floor, stunning him. Harry then jumped up and high-tailed it out of the hospital. He had to get to the boss and let him know what had happened.

~,~,~

Kensi was fighting with Jimmy but it didn't take her long to take him down. The man was a brawler and didn't know how to defend himself against a skilled fighter like her. He had pulled her out of the bed hoping to get the upper hand, but she was able to turn her fall into a roll, coming up and clocking him right in his 'junk' as Marty called it with her foot. Jimmy went down with a whimper. Before he could recover, he was the one with duct tape around his wrists with Kensi standing over him. "Come on asshole; I would love it if you'd try getting away. I'd love to kick you again you low-life piece of pond scum! You'd be singing soprano for the next year or so if I had my way."

She looked toward the door of the hospital room worried about Deeks. When all she saw were his legs, her heart jumped into her throat. She grabbed the duct tape and finished tying Jimmy's hands and legs none too gently to the leg of the bed, grabbed her gun and ran out of the room to find Marty lying on the floor, curled in a fetal position, holding his head in his hands with Harry nowhere in sight. There was enough blood on him that she was afraid he had been hurt badly again. She slid to her knees in front of him and pulled his hands gently away from his head. She found the cut above his eyebrow from the gun that was bleeding freely. After helping him sit up against the wall, she asked. "Marty, are you okay? His face was covered in blood and she could tell he was having trouble seeing through the blood dripping into his eyes. Looking into those same eyes, she could tell he was in a lot of pain but trying to hide it.

"Give me a second, okay…I just need a second." he huffed out around the pain in his ribs. "Damn it! The one I was fighting got away. I was doing okay until he slammed my head into the floor. He went toward the elevators down there." Marty waved one arm to his left while holding his ribs with the other.

~,~,~

Harry rounded the corner and took the elevator at the end of the hall down two floors. He then descended the remaining floors by way of the stairwell. He knew he had to get out of the hospital as fast as possible before reinforcements arrived. _"Damn that was close! We can't seem to catch a break with this guy. It's too bad, but Jimmy's on his own. I've got to get to the boss and let him know what happened. He's going to be pissed, but if I don't tell him, I'm a dead man."_

He managed to get to the van and pulled out of the parking garage without any trouble. Once he was on the freeway, he breathed a sigh of relief and high-tailed it to the house the boss was currently using as a base. When he arrived, Lee was waiting for him. As soon as he realized Harry was alone he knew something had gone wrong. "What the hell happened Harry? Where's Jimmy? And where's Deeks and his girlfriend?"

"Boss, we got up to his room with no trouble. We were being really careful. We looked all around to make sure the hall was clear; there was no one around so we entered his room. That's when all hell broke loose. That chick that's staying with him pulled a gun on us and a fight broke out. Deeks came at me and I had all I could handle getting away from him. I don't know how he was even standing up let alone fighting like a madman. I finally had to bash his head against the floor to get him to let go. And that chick with him…she is one tough bitch! She took Jimmy down fast and easy. I figured I'd better get out of there and get back here to let you know what was going on. I saw a cop come out of the stairwell just before I got in the elevator. I think they have a guard on him now though I swear to you they weren't there earlier."

Lee was incensed but he knew he still needed Harry. If not, he would have killed him right then and there. "We'll have to come up with another plan. No way will we be able to get to him in the hospital now. They'll be on guard. We're going to have to move our base of operations too. No way will Jimmy be able to stay silent. Let's pack up and get to the house in Reseda. Jimmy doesn't know where it is.

 _~,~,~_

"What the hell were you thinking, jumping out of bed like that? Kensi was checking Deeks over carefully as she talked.

"I was thinking that I had to back up my partner."

"You had me so worried! Are you sure you're okay?" She didn't see either of the cops that were supposed to be guarding Deeks' room and was thoroughly pissed off. There were going to be two very sorry cops when she got her hands on them!

"Yeah, I'm okay. Besides where were you partner? What were you doing, getting a manicure? Marty managed to quip. "Help me straighten up here, please. It hurts when I slump." He was breathing heavily and beginning to feel every punch he had received and every step he had taken on his abused feet. If he was honest with himself, he didn't think he could stand on his own so decided to stay right where he was for the moment.

"I'll have you know _partner_ , my guy is tied to the bed. I didn't let him get away like you did yours." Kensi smiled while ribbing him and brushed his hair back from the cut on his head to check to see if it was bleeding as freely as before.

She was contemplating the punishment she was going to dish out to both Riley and Tompkins when she saw Riley running from around the right-hand corner with his gun in his hand. Kensi decided to deal with him later.

Riley immediately checked on Deeks when he reached the two of them. Once he was sure that he didn't need immediate care, he looked around for Tompkins. When he didn't see him anywhere, he knew what had happened. Tompkins had pulled one of his classic stunts and he was pissed to beat the band. _"Where the hell is he? Damn him! If he went for a smoke leaving the room unattended, I'm going to report him to IA and his boss. He's always doing shit like this and I've had enough of him screwing up."_ He started swearing a blue streak while explaining to Kensi where he had been. "That son of a bitch! Where the hell is he? He was supposed to be covering for me while I went to the head. I was only gone for five minutes. I told him he could have a break when I got back."

"We haven't seen him and he was nowhere around when we were fighting these jerks." Kensi calmed down a little bit when she heard Riley's explanation. "They got into the room Richard. They were going to grab us and Tompkins was nowhere around. I'm going to kill him." She couldn't say she was surprised the other cop wasn't taking guard duty seriously. She hadn't liked him from the moment she had set eyes on him. He'd made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up which was never a good sign. _"Damn, I should have listened to my gut and refused to have him here. This is partially my fault."_ She looked up at the sound of hospital personnel running toward them and gave a sigh of relief.

Riley spat out. "God Kensi, I'm so sorry no one was here. Lt. Bates made it very clear to us that this room was supposed to be guarded at all times. That's why there were two of us so that if one of us had to leave for any reason, the other person could cover for them. If Tompkins isn't dead or knocked out in one of the rooms around here, I'm going to report him to Bates. He's always pulling shit like this. Bates will rip him a new one for dereliction of duty. He'll be lucky if he keeps his job."

The door to the stairwell opened at that moment and Tompkins came strolling out into the hallway. He stopped dead as he saw all the people around Deeks' hospital room. By this time, there was a doctor as well as a nurse tending to the detective. He took one look at Riley and then saw Kensi's face and knew he had just stepped into a huge pile of shit he wasn't going to be able to extricate himself from. It didn't stop him from beginning to make excuses though.

"What happened here? I heard a noise in the stairwell and went to check it out." he stammered looking around. His story might have been more believable if he didn't smell of smoke and have cigarette ash down the front of his shirt.

Kensi launched herself at him, pushing him up against the wall and getting right up in his face "You sorry excuse for a human being! Get out of my sight. You make me sick. Leave right this minute and report to Lt. Bates you moron. I don't want you anywhere around Marty or this hospital, got it?"

"You can't talk to me like…" He didn't get any farther because Kensi pulled her Sayoc knife and pressed it against his throat before he knew what was happening. "I'll talk to you any damn way I want to mister. You're lucky I don't cut your balls off and feed them to you. You left your post and it could have cost us our lives. Did you hear what I just told you?"

"Yes" he gulped.

"Then do it. Get out of my sight! I'll be calling Bates in a minute and letting him know how truly incompetent you are." She turned away from him in disgust as he scurried away. Riley watched him go with a broad smile on his face.

"I know a lot of cops who would have paid good money to have seen you put that asshole in his place. He's always pulling stunts like this, but he's always had an excuse before that kept him out of trouble. That's not going to happen this time, I guarantee it." Riley told Kensi. "You scared the shit out of him. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

"Yeah, well he deserved it. He's lucky I didn't cut his balls off! Watch the guy in Deeks' room will you. I'm calling my boss. Someone will be here to get him before too long." Kensi grabbed her cell phone from the room giving Jimmy a dirty look and called Hetty. When Hetty answered she apologized. "I'm sorry to be calling you so late Hetty, but we were attacked here in the hospital and I knew you would want to know right away.

Hetty interrupted her "Are you both okay? How's Mr. Deeks?"

Kensi sighed as she glanced at Marty being attended to. "I don't know how he did it, but he put up a hell of a fight. There were two of them and if he hadn't been able to help, they might have succeeded in grabbing both of us. He's in a lot of pain and has some new injuries but he's trying to hide how much he's hurting. The doctors are with him now."

"Let me know what the doctors say when they've finished with Mr. Deeks." Hetty could tell her youngest agent was angry and upset about more than some new injuries to Mr. Deeks. She could hear it in her voice so encouraged her youngest Agent to continue. "I know there's more. What haven't you told me yet Miss Blye?"

"One of the men got away and I don't like it. The doctor's with Deeks now and I can hear him saying he's fine but would say that if he was bleeding out. Hetty, he got pummeled pretty badly. He's been on his feet fighting and was hit in the head when one of the men threw his gun at him. Before everything was over, he'd had his head slammed into the floor by the man he was fighting with. That's the only reason the guy got away. The other one, the one I was fighting, is currently duct taped to Marty's hospital bed. Marty's sitting on the floor against the wall bleeding like a stuck pig from the head wound but arguing with his doctors that he's fine. He's got to be in a lot of pain, but he keeps denying it."

"Oh Mr. Deeks." Hetty murmured. "What am I going to do with you?" She thought for a moment and then began issuing orders.

"Tell Mr. Deeks to quit arguing and listen to his doctor. I'm leaving now and will be there soon. Tell him, I expect him to cooperate fully with his medical team. I expect him to be in bed when I arrive."

"Okay Hetty." Kensi took a deep breath and continued, "Can you call Lt. Bates? One of the guards assigned here deserted his post while the other one was in the head. That gave the assailants the chance to get into the room without being seen. Officer Riley had stepped away for a moment leaving Officer Tompkins to watch the door. That asshole deserted his post and went for a smoke! I almost cut his throat Hetty. He didn't want to be here to begin with. He's arrogant and disrespectful. He didn't even give a damn when he came strolling back and saw Marty on the floor with blood all over him. All he did was to start making excuses for himself!"

"He did what?! I'll handle it Miss Blye. You take care of Mr. Deeks. You said Officer Riley was gone when Tompkins went for a smoke? Is he back now or should I have Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna come to the hospital?"

"Don't call Sam or Callen. Riley's back now. He came running around the corner right after one of the men got away and I had the other tied up. He immediately checked on Deeks and then apologized to us profusely while explaining where he had been. He told me Tompkins has pulled stunts like this before but always gets away with it somehow. He also told me he would be calling Lt. Bates to tell him about Tompkins and exactly what went down here. He's helping with Deeks right now."

"Go take care of your partner. I'll handle everything else. I'll send someone to pick up the man you captured. I'm looking forward to talking to him." Hetty hung up the phone and immediately placed a call to Lt. Bates. Kensi walked back over by Deeks.

~,~,~

"I'm okay…really. I'm fine, a little winded; that's all. Let me sit here for a minute; just a minute and I'll be okay to stand up." Deeks was pleading with the doctor while trying to deny how much pain he was in when Kensi arrived back at his side.

She shook her head in disbelief at his words. "Marty, don't lie. Let them help you, please." she pleaded. When he looked at her, he could see how upset she was. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears and her lips were trembling slightly. He hated to see her worry about him so reached out and took her hand. His eyes were turbulent as he tried to reassure her.

"Kens…I'm okay, really."

"Please Marty, listen to the doctor."

"Kensi, sugarbear, I'm fine…I mean good…I'm good." He tried to play down his injuries but all he succeeded doing was pissing her off even more.

"You're not fine Marty, or good, so quit acting like you are! You're bleeding like a stuck pig. Your feet have to be killing you and I bet your ribs took a good pounding too. I can tell by the way you're holding them. Now, let the doctors help you; then get your ass back in that bed where you belong, mister."


	27. Chapter 26: Aftermath

This chapter is quite long but I couldn't find a good place to split it up, so you're getting a treat. Let's see what happened after the kidnapping attempt. My minions are mad at me because they said I should have left Deeks in bed and not let him get hurt again.

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, Jonathan Kravitz and Emilio Kennedy.

Once again nherbie has taken my chapter and made it so much better. If you haven't read her stories yet, you're missing out on some great ones!

To my most loyal reviewers, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. It means the world to me. To my Spanish reviewer: Muchas gracias por tu revisión. Me alegro de que haya gustado el capítulo. Hay mucho mms de eta history para llegar tan aferrarse a su sombrero. In fact to all of my guest reviewers, I appreciate ALL of you even if I can't respond personally.

Don't stop now. Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 26 – Aftermath

"…Now, let the doctors help you; then get your ass back in that bed where you belong, mister."

Marty stopped arguing with the doctor the second he heard Kensi's remark. He and the doctor shared a look as Marty's face lit up, his eyes began twinkling and a grin appeared on his face. "Well now Fern, all you have to do is ask. You know your wish is my command. So you want my ass in bed do you?…really?" he smirked waggling his eyebrows at her in as sexy a look as he could manage at the moment. "And are you going to join me there? I mean, I know you want to ravish me and me in the hospital. You are insatiable woman!"

Kensi could feel the blush spreading up her neck and into her face. Marty couldn't help himself as he crowed. "I knew it…I knew it! You can't get enough of all of this awesomeness, can you." He waved one hand up and down his body. I'm right…aren't I? You want to have your wicked way with me don't you Sugarbear?" His eyes were shining with happiness.

She stood there opening and closing her mouth like a fish on a hook. She didn't know what to say. "That's…wait…that's not what…I mean…that's not…I don't…"

The doctor was looking back and forth at the two of them as if it was a tennis match and they were lobbing balls at each other. Marty interrupted her fumbling attempts at a come-back. "That's what you said…you can't deny it. We all heard it…you want my ass…and you want it in bed right now. Just be patient Fern. There's no hurry; we have all night." He was rewarded by seeing Kensi's face turn flaming red.

"That's not what I…you know that's not what I meant Deeks. I meant that you're…you know what…you're a perv, that's what you are. You should be in bed, not sitting in the hallway, bleeding. Isn't that right Doctor?"

She appealed to the doctor who wisely chose to keep his mouth shut but couldn't manage to keep a small grin from appearing on his face. She gave him a dirty look before pulling herself together and continuing. "Hetty's coming to the hospital. She'll be here in a little while for a full report from your doctor. She said and I quote 'I expect him to cooperate fully with his medical team. I expect him to be in bed when I arrive.' You heard me right. Hetty expects you to listen to your doctor. She also expects you to be in bed when she gets here." Marty's smile left his face as Kensi related what Hetty had said. She saw the affect her words were having on Deeks and was enjoying herself now. "I wouldn't cross Hetty, but if you think you can get away with it, be my guest. You're always saying you're her favorite. Care to bet on what she'll say if you're not in bed when she gets here?"

Marty's face paled as he listened to what Hetty had told Kensi. "No…I'm…that's okay, I'll go back to bed in a minute. I just need a minute is all." He didn't want anyone to realize that he couldn't stand up on his own, let alone walk. _"I need a couple of minutes to get my breath back, that's all. Then I'll be able to stand up and get in the chair. I'm fine. It's only a few more bruises after all. What they don't know won't hurt them. I don't want to worry Kensi any more than she already is."_ When he didn't feel any better after a minute or so, he finally admitted to himself he needed help but still couldn't bring himself to admit it to the doctor.

Kensi looked at him for a couple of minutes before turning and asking the doctor "So what damage did he do to himself with this little stunt?"

Marty stared at her in consternation before voicing his objection to her words. "Stunt? That's harsh Kens. This was no stunt. I wasn't trying to impress anyone; I was only doing my job and protecting my partner." he protested with a pout on his face.

"What did I tell you Deeks? I'm the one who is doing the protecting right now. You're supposed to be healing, not playing superhero rescuing the damsel in distress. You should know by now I can take care of myself."

Marty sputtered. "But…but…there…there were two of them. Come on! I know you're badass Kens, but…but you…you shouldn't have to take on both of them by yourself. Besides, I'm not an invalid! I'm perfectly capable of helping out. Didn't I just prove that?" He was panting slightly by the time he finished talking and could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.

Kensi was having none of his excuses. "Oh really? So that's why you have your arms wrapped around your ribs and are sitting there leaning against the wall right now huh? Fine, prove it to me. Let's see you stand up without holding onto the wall shall we? Not to mention walking. I bet you can't stand up alone or walk at all, so getting back over to your bed by yourself and then getting in it on those feet is going to be a problem. If you can do that, I'll believe it when you say you're good." She looked at him in exasperation with tears in her eyes because she was getting upset at his sheer stubbornness. He couldn't bear to see her upset and worried about him so he gave in as gracefully as he could.

"Okay, Kens, okay, you win. Don't cry. I can't stand to see you cry. I'll be good," He ran his hands through his hair and then nodded at both her and the doctor. He began answering the questions he had already been asked but this time he was being completely truthful. "Okay…I think maybe another rib was broken when the guy started punching me, but I'm not sure. My head feels like someone's on the inside performing a drum solo, but I'm not seeing double and I'm not nauseous. My feet feel like they're on fire or they've just been through a wood chipper. I've got a lump on the side of my head from when it was slammed against the floor which isn't helping my headache any, and I'm bleeding like a stuck pig from the gash on my forehead as Kens so colorfully put it. Other than that I'm just fine…peachy keen, really."

The doctor was having trouble hiding his grin from his patient. He knew everything Marty had just admitted was pretty accurate but he also knew if Kensi hadn't insisted, he would have downplayed everything that happened to him and would have neglected to admit how much pain he was really in. "Thank you Marty. Let's get you up in the wheelchair now that we have a bandage on that head wound. I want to check it once we have you back in bed to see if it needs any stitches. I also want to take a good look at those feet and check your ribs. I'll be as gentle as possible."

"Stitches, really? I hate stitches." Marty grumbled as the wheelchair was maneuvered beside him. The doctor and two nurses then began helping him stand up to sit in the chair. He couldn't hold back his groan and muttered 'Fragglerock!' under his breath as his ribs protested the movement. The minute he was on his feet he couldn't keep from hissing at the pain, and began panting shallowly trying to control the intense pain radiating from his soles. The medical personnel sat him in the chair as fast as possible but he was pale and covered in sweat by the time he was sitting back down.

" _Man that hurt…that hurt like a bitch. I guess I_ _ **am**_ _going to need the wheelchair to get around for a while longer. Dammit! I hate feeling this way! I hate being helpless! Let's hope I don't have another run-in with Lee's goons any time soon…well at least not the one that got away. I'm not up for that at all."_ He looked up at Kensi once he was in the chair and saw the relief on her face. _"I worried you all over again didn't I baby girl? I'm sorry…I keep saying that but I really mean it. You shouldn't be around me right now. You know it isn't safe, but you'll kick my ass if I suggest you leave. And…if I'm being honest with myself…I don't want you to leave. I feel safer with you near me."_

Kensi followed Dr. Montgomery and the nurses as they wheeled Marty back into his room. She stopped and spoke to Detective Riley while they were getting Marty back in bed. "Richard, Hetty is sending someone over to pick this piece of scum up and take him to interrogation. Could you let me know when that happens?"

"I'll do that Agent Blye."

"Call me Kensi."

"All right Kensi. Again, I'm sorry I wasn't here when the attack went down." Riley took custody of the man Kensi had duct-taped to the bed. He grabbed him, slapped handcuffs on him; then pulled him out of the room and sat him down outside. He was feeling responsible for the additional injuries Deeks had sustained and was mad as hell at his so-called partner. He was looking forward to talking to Lt. Bates. He was going to make sure Tompkins was punished to the fullest extent possible for his latest actions. The man shouldn't even be a cop as far as he was concerned. He was going to take great pleasure in telling all his friends on the force how Kensi took Tompkins down, _twice!_

Marty was white as a ghost by the time he had been transferred from the wheelchair to the bed. He then had to endure the doctor's examination and was shaking with fatigue by the time the the doctor finished stitching up the gash on his head. "You were right Marty. You have another broken rib and two more cracked ones plus there will be a whole new assortment of bruises showing up in the next 24 hours. The good news is that the broken rib did not puncture your lung. The head wound required six stitches, but you don't have another concussion. Your feet are much more swollen than before but there isn't any additional damage. I can only imagine how painful they must be. If you promise to take the pain meds we give you and stay off your feet except when you use the bathroom, they'll heal faster and the meds will have you feeling a lot more comfortable soon."

"Thanks doc." Marty managed to huff as he tried to get comfortable in bed. Kensi thought he looked completely exhausted by everything he had been through that evening. As soon as the doctor moved away from the bed, she was right next to him holding his hand again. He looked at her in gratitude and was able to manage a smile for her.

"I'll have the nurse come in with your meds. Try not to get in anymore fights tonight okay." The doctor's eyes were twinkling.

"You…you just made a joke Doc. I can't believe you made a joke about the fight…all right!" Deeks chuckled softly. Looking at Kensi, all he could manage was "Thanks partner…you were amazing!" He leaned back against the pillows. He had to admit, if only to himself that he was completely wiped out. The fight had consumed what little energy he had managed to regain. All he wanted to do now was sleep but he wouldn't be doing any of that until he got his meds because every inch of his body was screaming in pain. He glanced at Kensi then looked down at the blanket covering him. "Umm…do you think you can get me some juice or something. I'm really thirsty."

"I'll check with the nurse. Maybe I can get you some jello too. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" She smiled at him in understanding as she turned to the door.

"Thanks Kens" His smile made her leaving worthwhile.

Marty looked at the doctor once Kensi had left the room. "Um doc. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, you know you can ask me anything. Do you have questions about your care and recovery that I haven't answered yet?"

"No, it's not that…but…when can I get some real food to eat? I'm hungry…and the restricted diet…well, all I can say about it is I can choke it down if I try really hard. I want something real to eat."

"You've got to understand Marty. You were starved for days. We have to take it slow so your stomach can get used to solid food again. If you try too much too soon, you'll only set yourself back and have to start all over again."

"Yeah I guess so, but when can I start having more to eat? I'm never going to get back to my normal weight with what I've been eating. I'm surprised I haven't lost more weight to be truthful." Marty gave the doctor his best puppy dog eyes hoping to elicit some sympathy. The doctor knew what his patient was doing and he wasn't about to let it affect his treatment.

"Let's see how you do tomorrow morning. If you're still doing well, I might be persuaded to put you on a soft diet beginning with dinner tomorrow night." The doctor promised him that if his blood work showed he was tolerating the small meals and reduced fluids well, the doctor would prescribe additional food and more fluids for him tomorrow for dinner. If that went well for a day, he would graduate to a regular diet.

"Thanks doc. I guess that's as good as it's going to get."

"Be patient Marty. You're getting better every day. You have to give your body time to get used to food again. I'll tell the nurse you can have a small glass of juice this evening. And I'll see you in the morning…well actually later this morning now. Try to get some more rest. You've been through a lot in the last hour or so."

~,~,~

Hetty decided to call Callen before she called Lt. Bates once she hung up with her junior agent. She knew he would be awake practicing his Russian or French, or possibly taking apart one of his appliances, and wouldn't mind getting to the hospital to pick up Jimmy. She was correct in thinking Callen would be awake, but for the wrong reason. The only Russian he had been practicing consists of terms of endearment spoken while he and Nell spent several pleasant hours exploring each other's body before Callen convinced her to get some sleep. He waited until she was sleeping before slipping out of bed and padding into the living room. He hadn't even sat down when his cell rang.

"Hetty, everything's okay isn't it? Deeks didn't take a turn for the worse did he?"

"No Mr. Callen. Mr. Deeks is doing fine." Hetty informed him of what had happened then continued with her next set of instructions. "Go collect the man Kensi took down and take him to the boatshed. Have someone watch him for the rest of the night. I want him to stew for a while. I'll meet you there in the morning. I want to talk to him myself. He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to tell us everything we want to know. I want this case closed and soon. Mr. Deeks doesn't need any more trouble from Ivan Lee and his associates."

"I'll call Kensi and let her know I'm on my way." Callen replied. He then continued, "You sound tired. Get some rest for us please. We need you more than you need us." Callen would never admit it to anyone, but he worried about Hetty. She was the closest thing to family he had; sometimes he thought she filled the role of his mother and it gave him a warm feeling every time that thought crossed his mind. If it hadn't been for her, he didn't know where his life would have taken him. She had taken an interest in him at the lowest point of his young life and literally saved him. He would gladly spend the rest of his life watching over her and trying to keep her safe even if she still scared the crap out of him on a regular basis.

"Oh go on with you Mr. Callen. I'm fine. I have another call to make, then I'm visiting our Mr. Deeks briefly to make sure he's behaving himself. Once I do that, I'll rest until I meet you in the morning."

"What are you always telling us about taking care of ourselves Hetty? You should follow your own advice once in a while." He was half-joking with her but wanted to get his point across.

"Cheeky bastard!" she replied. "I'll think about it. I'll see you in the morning."

~,~,~

Hetty took a few minutes after talking to Callen to fix herself a cup of tea. She was looking forward to the fortification a bracing cup of tea would provide when she talked to Lt. Bates about the latest developments in Mr. Deeks' abduction case. As she was preparing her tea she thought over everything Kensi had told her. _Marty Deeks, what am I going to do with you? I promised Sam I would watch over you, but you make it very difficult sometimes. You're a walking, talking disaster magnet, you know that? Thank God you have Sam watching over you as your guardian angel. You should probably have a whole army of angels looking out for you! You're one of the few men I've ever met who doesn't think twice about helping someone else even when it could cause harm to you. I always knew you were the right partner for Miss Blye, but I never realized the extent of the connection you two would develop. You think nothing of getting out of a hospital bed, putting your life in danger to protect your partner. You're very lucky you got off as 'lightly' as you did this evening. You could have punctured a lung fighting that man in the condition you're currently in. Sometimes I think I should wrap you up in bubble wrap to keep you safe. You have to start taking better care of yourself, Marty. You're giving me gray hair…and no one is allowed to do that you cheeky bugger!"_

Once her tea was in front of her, she placed the call to Lt. Bates. She knew he would want to know what happened even when it was the middle of the night. He answered on the first ring making her wonder if the man ever slept. "Bates here" came the gravelly voice of her liaison's boss.

"Lt. Bates, it's Hetty Lange. I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but an attempt was made on Mr. Deeks earlier this evening which came close to succeeding because one of the guards you assigned to his room deserted his post, leaving him unguarded." She was trying to keep the anger from her voice, but she wasn't completely successful.

"What the hell? Where was the second guard? I sent two men so someone would always be guarding Deeks. I'm going to…."

Hetty interrupted him "It might go faster if you let me tell you everything I know first. We can then discuss the ramifications in more detail."

"You're right Miss Lange. Sorry, it's just that Deeks has always been a thorn in my side. A damn good cop, an amazing undercover detective, but a thorn none the less. I don't know how he does it, but even lying in a hospital bed, he's a pain in my ass!"

"I agree. That man will be the death of me yet. But he is a valued member of my team and I know it's the same with you no matter how much you growl and bark." They both shared a quiet laugh remembering some of the more outrageous antics of the detective/liaison in question. Hetty then continued.

"When Det. Riley and Det. Tompkins arrived this evening, Miss Blye had words with Tompkins over his attitude toward her. He was completely unprofessional and condescending. If you know anything about Miss Blye, you know what happened next. She put him in his place by putting him in an arm lock, then pushing him up against the wall while she told him in no uncertain terms what he was there for. I would have called it an over-reaction on her part but seeing what happened later, I think she was correct in doing what she did. The man is a menace and shouldn't be a police officer in my opinion.

"Det. Riley and Det. Tompkins replaced the previous team on guard duty at midnight. About 3 am, Det. Riley had to use the men's room so excused himself and told his partner to keep watch while he was gone. He told him he would be back in five minutes, then Tompkins could have a break. As soon as Riley was gone, Tompkins disappeared without informing anyone of where he was going or what he was doing."

"While he was gone, two men entered Mr. Deeks' room where Miss Blye was sleeping beside her partner with a roll of duct tape and guns. As far as we can tell, they were going to abduct both of them for Ivan Lee. Thank God that didn't happen. Miss Blye heard the men as they entered the room and like the well-oiled team they are, she warned Mr. Deeks. As I said, the men had guns, but were surprised when Miss Blye and Mr. Deeks sat up with their guns pointed at them. Miss Blye took one man down after grabbing his gun while the second man threw his gun at Mr. Deeks and turned to flee. Not a very smart move on his part because Mr. Deeks chased him out of the room and caught up to him in the hall. And please, call me Hetty. We've known each other long enough to be on a first name basis. "

"Wait" Lt. Bates interrupted. "Deeks chased a man out of his room? In the condition he's in? How did he even stand up with the shape his feet are in?" He was shaking his head at the unimaginable picture forming in his brain.

"You'll find that young man is capable of extraordinary efforts where his partner is involved. He probably didn't feel a thing until the fight was over. According to Miss Blye, if the man Mr. Deeks was fighting hadn't slammed his head against the floor, Mr. Deeks would have subdued him. As it is he got away, but the man Miss Blye was fighting was caught. I believe she used one of her classic maneuvers to finally subdue the man." She began chuckling remembering some of the details Kensi had shared with her.

Lt. Bates was confused. "What classic maneuver did she use? Was it a Krav Maga move? I know she's versed in that martial art."

Hetty laughed out loud at Lt. Bates question; she couldn't help herself as images of Kensi's foot connecting with the man's privates flashed across her minds' eye. "No. It wasn't a Krav Maga move. Perish the thought. Miss Blye is extremely talented in many forms of martial arts of course, and also some, shall we say, more unconventional methods of inflicting damages on men who anger her such as punching, kicking, kneeing or shooting them in their privates. In this instance, she used her foot."

"She kicked him in his junk? That's…that's just wrong. And if I'm going to call you Hetty, you should call me Roger. Deal?"

"Deal" Hetty replied.

"Does Deeks know his partner kicks men in their junk?" Lt. Bates shuddered as he continued "What is she thinking, that's just so wrong on so many levels."

"Yes; he is aware of Miss Blye's talent in that area. Actually he gets a kick out of it now. However, he had the same reaction you did the first time she did it, though he stated it in his own unique way. I think he said something similar to **"You don't kick a guy in his junk on a hunch."** He then told Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna to not let her interrogate suspects because **"she kicked him right in the Nom de plumes."** Both men and Mr. Deeks told her it would be better if she had pistol whipped the suspects in the face. They feel the same way you do about kicking a man in his genitals. Of course they use terms like privates, lunchbox, package, junk, nads, manhood, nuts and other similar amusing terms for a man's genitals when they describe it. You must agree it's a very effective way to take a man down."

"Well yes it is, but…it's still wrong." By now he was laughing right along with her; and he sorely needed the laugh. He knew the remainder of Hetty's report wouldn't be as pleasant to hear. "So tell me the rest of it. I'm sure it won't be as amusing, but thanks for the laugh. I needed it."

"You're right, Roger. Back to business. Det. Riley came back as the fight was almost over. He immediately went to help Mr. Deeks while looking around for his partner. When he realized Det. Tompkins was nowhere to be found, Miss Blye told me he started swearing a blue streak and apologizing for not being there. He said you sent two guards so that there would be at least one in front of the door to Mr. Deeks' room at all times."

"That's why I did it. Did Det. Tompkins ever show up?"

"Yes he came strolling out of the stairwell a few minutes after the fight was over. He tried to say he heard noises and went to investigate, but both Miss Blye and Det. Riley stated he smelled of smoke and had cigarette ash down the front of his uniform. As I'm sure you can guess, she was not happy. She actually held a knife to his throat then told him to get out of there and report to you and that she would be calling me. I believe you will also be hearing from Det. Riley once he's off duty. That young man is an asset to your department. I can't say the same thing about Det. Tompkins."

"Well, don't think you're going to hijack another one of my best men Hetty. You already have Deeks, I won't let you have Riley too. I'll take care of Tompkins. He's pulled stunts like this before, but he's not going to get away with it this time if I have anything to say about it." Turning to the subject of Deeks, he asked "So how much damage did the kid do to himself this time?"

"I don't have all the details yet but I do know that he's got a gash on his forehead from the gun that was thrown at him and probably another lump on his head from where he was slammed into the floor. He was sitting up talking to the doctor when Miss Blye called me. I imagine he's feeling the damage to his feet and ribs more now that the adrenaline from the fight has worn off. I'll know more once I've seen him. I'm on my way to the hospital once we're finished. I'll let you know as soon as I find out more. I'm sure if he had done any significant damage to himself, we would have already heard about it so I'll let you get back to your interrupted rest."

"Thanks. I'll be sending over another officer to work with Riley and I'll be talking to him when he gets off shift. You won't be seeing Tompkins again I assure you. Thanks for the heads up Hetty. You should try to get some rest yourself." Bates hung up the phone then began going over the details of everything he had heard from Hetty. To say he was pissed at Tompkins was an understatement. The man didn't have a clue of the amount of trouble he was in and Bates was looking forward to making his life a living hell.

~,~,~

Callen padded back down the hallway into his bedroom to find Nell awake once more and looking toward the door. "What's going on? I heard your cell ring. Are we needed in ops?"

"No, we're not needed in ops. You can sleeps some more. I have to go to the hospital and pick up a scumbag. Deeks and Kensi were attacked."

"What! Oh no, are they okay?"

He reached over and ruffled her hair. "Yes, little spider, they're fine. I didn't want to leave without letting you know where I would be." Nell moved to get out of bed, but Callen stopped her. "No, don't get up. I'll be back later once I have this scumbag in the boatshed with someone watching him. Try to get some more sleep while I'm gone. I know you're exhausted."

He looked at her with smoky blue eyes, whispering "Keep the bed warm for me will you? I'm not done with you yet. I have a lot more I plan to do with you."

"Oh, really? Are you trying for a record in how many times in one night we can make love and you can make me climax G?"

"Yes" He replied. He then kissed her thoroughly, taking his time, and went into his living room to call Kensi.

Nell lay in bed, her body tingling with anticipation of what Callen had planned for when he returned. She loved spending time with him. He was a very inventive lover and each time they were together was better than the time before. Thinking about some of the things they had done together caused her to blush. The more time she spent with him, the more she loved him. What was incredible to her was that she knew the feelings were mutual. They were keeping it quiet because it was nobody else's business except theirs. Besides if anyone found out, there would be awkward questions asked. _"I know Eric is only interested in me as a friend, but I don't want to hurt his feelings by flaunting my relationship with Callen. Deeks would probably tease me unmercifully, but I know he would be doing it because he likes me and wants me to be happy. Kensi will want to know why I didn't tell her sooner. I'm not sure what Sam would think though and I'm not sure I want to find out. I haven't even mentioned Callen to my parents yet and they should be the first ones we tell."_

~,~,~

Callen sat down in one of the two chairs he had in the living room and called Kensi. When she answered he got right to the point. "Hetty told me what happened. How's Deeks? Is he really okay?"

"He's fine Callen. He shouldn't have had to face another kidnap attempt. I almost killed the cop who left us alone. I had my knife to his throat, but I didn't use it. Aren't you proud of me? I really wanted to hurt him. If Deeks had been taken again I would have." Callen could hear the trembling in her voice but decided to ignore it for the moment.

"It's a good thing you didn't. I'm pretty sure that cop will pay dearly for what he did. Just as I'm sure we'll be able to get some good intel from the man you captured about where we can find Lee. You did good."

"It wasn't just me. You should have seen Deeks. I'm supposed to be protecting him while he recovers but he…he didn't hesitate. He was absolutely amazing. He jumped out of bed without a thought for his own injuries. There were two men so he automatically took on one of them while I took on the other. While I took down the one guy, he caught up with the other one in the hallway. I could hear them fighting. He would have had him too if the guy hadn't slammed his head into the floor. He wasn't even feeling any pain until everything was over. That's when the adrenaline wore off. He couldn't even stand up on his own, but kept saying he was okay Callen."

"He's tough Kensi and he's your partner. Of course he's going to try to protect you."

"He shouldn't have had to! That's why the guard was there for all the good they did."

"Kensi, calm down. Everything turned out okay didn't it? Nothing happened to Deeks that you're not telling me is there?"

"No. I didn't leave anything out." She sighed. She was beginning to feel the effects of her own fight now that Marty was being taken care of. "The doctor checked him out thoroughly. The worst injury he received during the fight is another broken rib but it wasn't displaced. His feet are giving him the most pain right now. He couldn't even stand up without being in agony. Oh he hid it quite well, but he couldn't keep from hissing as the medical staff helped him into a wheelchair to get him back to bed. I'm on my way back to the room right now with some juice for him. I got an okay from the doctor for him to have it. Then I'm making sure he sleeps while I keep watch with Det. Riley until another officer gets here."

"I'm on my way to pick up the guy you took down and take him to the boat shed. Hetty is going to question him personally but first she wants him to stew for the rest of the night. I'll let you know what happens when she interrogates him. He'll probably spill his guts the minute he gets a good look at her. She said she was coming by the hospital to see Deeks, so she should be there soon." Callen chuckled at the prospect of watching Hetty interrogate someone. She was a fearsome interrogator and knew how to use a simple look and silence to unnerve the biggest baddest men.

"Thanks. I want to hear all about it when she does. You take care and I'll see you when you get here."

~,~,~

Callen poked his head in Deeks' room when he arrived to pick up Jimmy. "Hey Deeks, how are you doing? You're looking worse than the last time I was here. I heard you had some excitement earlier."

"I'm tired, but okay."

Callen snorted "Don't even try that with me. Kensi told me everything; now how are you really doing?"

"Geesh! She just had to spill the beans didn't she. I'm okay. Seriously. My feet were killing me earlier but the pain meds have helped a lot. Now I just feel exhausted. Nothing some more sleep won't cure."

"Glad to hear it. I'll see you tomorrow."

He left the room and grabbed Jimmy from where he was sitting against the wall. "Come on douchebag. Someone is real interested in talking to you.


	28. Chapter 27: Jimmy Sings

What is Jimmy going to tell the team? And what will he think of Hetty?

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show. I only own my original characters which in this story include Ben Davis, James Madison, Jonathan Kravitz and Emilio Kennedy.

To all of my reviewers, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. I've enjoyed reading all of them.

Don't stop now. Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 27 - Jimmy Sings

James Madison was currently slumped in a very uncomfortable chair with his head cradled on his arms. He was replaying what had happened to him to find him in his current situation. He didn't understand how everything went to shit so fast. The job was supposed to be an easy snatch but turned out to be anything but. The woman he was supposed to grab had to be some kind of a freak! She took him down easily and he still didn't understand how she had done it. All he remembered was pointing the gun at her and then a whirlwind ending up with him on the floor immobilized with duct tape.

The scary man who picked him up at the hospital had dumped him unceremoniously in this room without saying a single word. He'd uncuffed him then turned and left him there. He'd been alone in the small interrogation room for what felt like days but was in fact hours. He couldn't understand why no one had questioned him yet. He couldn't complain because he had been given water and something to eat when he asked for it. He'd even been allowed to use the bathroom when needed. He wondered if they'd caught Harry as well but whenever he asked he was met with silence. No matter what he asked about, what he was given or allowed to do, no one said anything to him and the silence was freaking him out. The longer it went on the more nervous he became. He was beginning to think he'd admit to anything to hear someone answer his questions or even simply say his name.

The walls of the interrogation room felt like they were closing in on him. He lifted his head glancing around but there wasn't really anything to see except for the large mirror on one wall, the door on another and the small table he was at with chairs on either side. He was smart enough to know that the mirror was likely a one-way window to another room. He wondered if anyone was on the other side watching him. _"I wonder who's in there. What are they waiting for? Who are these people? Why isn't someone in here asking me questions? It's been hours."_ He looked around some more then stood up and began pacing. " _I want out of here. Come on someone, anyone, come talk to me then let me out of this room. I don't care if I end up in a jail cell. Anything to get out of here."_

He had just sat down in the chair again when he heard someone at the door. He felt a huge sense of relief knowing something was finally going to happen. He looked over at it in expectation of the scary man returning to question him but was surprised and somewhat mystified when a tiny, impeccably dressed woman entered the room carrying a file folder, quietly closing the door behind her. She had short brown hair and wore glasses. _"What the hell? Who is this? She looks like someone's grandmother. I wonder why she's here?"_

The woman stepped up to the table, put the file down and sat on the side opposite him. She didn't say a word just looked him over thoroughly. He felt like she could see inside of him and knew everything he had ever done; almost as if she was was looking him over like a prime cut of beef. She then folded her hands neatly in front of her and stared into his eyes.

The longer she stared at him, the more he came to fear her. She might be tiny, but he could instinctively tell she wasn't someone he wanted to mess with. When he couldn't stand the silence any longer, he blurted out "Who are you? Why am I here?"

"Come, come Mr. Madison. You know why you're here. And a much better question is who are you?" The woman waved her hand at him as he opened his mouth to answer her. "No need to say anything. I already know everything there is to know about you. Your name is James Alexander Madison. Your parents were Clara and Alexander. You're the youngest of three children. Your parents have been dead for over 12 years; a car crash I believe. You haven't seen your two siblings in over 10 years because they want nothing to do with you. You're 33 years old and you have a rap sheet over 2-inches thick." She pulled the folder in front of her closer and opened the cover. She spent several minutes turning the pages of his file and tsking softly now and then. "I can see you've been a very naughty boy. I don't think your mother would be very proud of what you've become, do you?" Hetty gave a slight shake of her head before she continued.

"You began your criminal career as a petty thief. You graduated to breaking and entering by the time you were 15, then armed robbery and home invasions by the time you were 21. You were recruited by Ivan Lee as low-level muscle and an errand boy when you were 28. After he was sent to prison for murder, you continued working for him; visiting him regularly at the prison. You went to prison yourself in 2010 for two years after being found guilty of several robberies. I don't know whether it was the luck of the draw or planned, but you ended up in the same institution as Lee. There you continued your association with him as a glorified messenger boy. Tell me, did you help him escape last year?"

Jimmy's eyes had been growing bigger with every word Hetty uttered. He couldn't believe how much she knew about him. "How…how do you know all this? Who are you people?" Jimmy stammered. This woman knew everything about him, his family, his record; even the things he did as a juvenile.

"Answer my question." Hetty snapped.

Jimmy jerked in surprise at the anger and snap of command in her voice. "What…what question?"

"Tell me how you helped Ivan Lee escape. Then tell me why you kidnapped Marty Deeks, a cop and a federal agent, for him. Before I'm through questioning you, I expect you to tell me everything."

Jimmy looked at her with his mouth hanging open. Nothing was hidden from her. He began to wish he was still alone in the room. He was sweating bullets and didn't know what to do. If he talked, Lee was capable of murdering him in the most gruesome way possible, but he wasn't sure the woman in front of him wouldn't make him suffer just as much or even more than Lee could. And she was the one who had him in her clutches. Maybe he could cut a deal for protection if he told her everything she wanted to know. "He's a fed? No one told me that. I thought he was just some cop who had pissed Ivan off."

"You were mistaken, very much mistaken. He is a _highly decorated_ police officer, and liaison between my agency and the LAPD. He works for me and more importantly, he's family. No one hurts my employees or my family and gets away with it. If you don't want to spend the rest of your life in a very dark hole, you _will_ tell me everything I want to know and you'll do so starting right now."

"Did you help Ivan Lee escape from prison?" she snapped once again.

Jimmy was quick to answer this time. "Yes, yes I did."

"Why did he want to escape? Tell me everything he told you."

"What do I get in return?" Jimmy was determined to get something for telling her what he knew about Ivan.

Hetty smiled as she looked directly at him and calmly stated "You get to keep on living Mr. Madison."

The smile on her face scared the piss out of Jimmy and he could feel his testicles draw upward into his body as he heard those words come softly from her mouth. What little confidence he had left vanished. He felt like a very small mouse staring into the mouth of a very large cat. A very large cat that was licking it's chops as if he was going to be lunch. Looking at her convinced him that things could and would get a lot worse if he didn't cooperate fully so he began spilling his guts.

"Ivan kept talking about this cop who lied about him and how it was all his fault he was in prison. The cop's name was Marty Deeks. He had me find out everything I could about him before I got caught and sent to prison. Then when I got out before he did, he told me to find out the most current information on the cop. He said he was going to escape and that he needed my help. That is, help from both of us; me and Harry. He bribed one of the guards into getting him a job in the laundry room. Then once we had everything in place on the outside, he escaped from there. Some of the laundry is sent out for cleaning and he went out in one of the dirty laundry bags."

"Who was the guard he bribed?"

"I don't know. He called him Bruno, but I don't know if that's his real name."

"Who is Harry Denton when he isn't kidnapping people?"

"Harry is Ivan's right-hand man and guard. He and I go way back; we were childhood friends. I helped him kidnap the cop…I mean _Federal Agent_."

"What was Ivan Lee planning to do to Mr. Deeks?"

"He said he deserved to die for what he did to him; but he was going to do it slowly. He wanted to have some fun with him first and make him suffer for a very long time. He said he wanted his friends to suffer too. That's why he sent the link to the website. He wanted an audience whenever he hurt the cop. He's a mean, vicious, vindictive man. You cross him at your own peril. I don't want to end up on his wrong side."

"Do you know all the drugs he used on Mr. Deeks?"

"No. I know he used PCP and LSD on him. I think there was also ketamine, hash, rohypnol and GHB. There may have been others, but if so, I dunno what they were."

Hetty stared at him again for several minutes before speaking. She then pushed a blank pad of paper toward him along with a pen. "Start writing down everything you've told me so far. I'll be back Mr. Madison. Think very carefully about what you're going to tell me when I return."

~,~,~

Hetty picked the file folder up and left the room. She walked into the main room of the boat shed to find Granger waiting for her. She put a hand up to stop him from asking any questions, before pulling out her cell phone and calling the hospital. "I need to speak to Dr. Montgomery immediately."

She waiting impatiently while the doctor was paged to the phone. When he answered, she informed him "This is Henrietta Lange. I have additional information on the drugs that were given to Mr. Martin. I wanted you to know immediately."

"Any additional information you've found will help with his continued treatment Miss Lange."

"I don't know if these are all of the drugs he was given, but here's the list I have so far; PCP, LSD, ketamine, hash, rohypnol and GHB. There could be others, but these are the known ones." Callen and Sam entered the boat shed as she was reciting the list of drugs given to Deeks. They looked into each other's eyes having an entire conversation without saying a single word. The conversation ended with each thinking. _"How in hell did Deeks keep from overdosing with all those drugs in his system? Let alone managing to survive the torture he was put through? And then after all of that how did he ever have the strength to escape?"_ Both men had talked earlier and come to the agreement that there was a depth and strength in Deeks that no one really knew about.

Dr. Montgomery was having trouble reconciling what his patient had been put through with how much better he was doing after only two days. "Good Lord, no wonder he had so much trouble remembering what happened to him. I'm surprised he didn't die from the drugs in his system, let alone the torture. All of the drugs you mentioned can cause memory problems, especially if used to excess. He was repeatedly injected or forced to ingest any number of them numerous times daily for the entire time he was held. I'm actually encouraged that he's doing as well as he is, given everything he's been through."

"Mr. Martin is a remarkable young man Doctor. If anyone can overcome what was done to him, he will. I'll keep you informed on any new information we obtain that relates to his care and recovery. Take care of him for us." Hetty ended the call then turned to the three men waiting impatiently for her to finish.

Callen was the first to recover "What else did that scum bag tell you? Anything we can use to find Lee?"

"I haven't gotten that far in my interrogation yet Mr. Callen. But he's going to tell me everything by the time I'm finished with him." Hetty looked at the caller ID when her phone rang again "Bugger! That's Director Vance. I have to give him an update but I don't want to give Mr. Madison any more of a break to calm down. Owen, would you like to have a go at him while I talk to Director Vance?"

Owen ground out "It will be my pleasure," as he moved toward the interrogation room. The look on his face told Callen and Sam that Jimmy had better cooperate or he would be in a world of hurt. They were both looking forward to witnessing the next phase of the questioning.

~,~,~

Jimmy looked up as the door opened, relieved when a man entered instead of the tiny terror, which was what he thought of Hetty. His relief didn't last long because one look at the man's face and he knew he was in more trouble than he had ever imagined he could be. "Where's that little woman who was in here before?"

"You don't need to worry about her right now, worry about me." Owen's voice sounded like he was chewing rocks and spitting out sand. "Tell me where Ivan Lee is and everything you know about him and his habits."

"I dunno where he is now. If Harry got away, he went straight to Ivan and reported in. Ivan was staying at 3418 Cedar Street in Studio City but I'm sure he's left there since I was caught." Jimmy tried to think of anywhere else the boss might go and could only think of the house somewhere in Reseda. "He has a house or something in Reseda, but I don't have the address." Granger sat there staring at Jimmy waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was positive there had to be more Jimmy was keeping to himself.

Jimmy's nerves failed him about three minutes after Granger began staring at him. "Oh, I just remembered something else. He was also setting up an abandoned building to use once we got Deeks back. It's the old Hall of Justice building."

"The one on W. Temple Street?"

"Yeah, that's the one. He likes it because it has a basement."

"What are his habits like?" Granger replied testily.

"His habits? I dunno…he's always got some drugs around, but I've never seen him use any. Uhhh…he calls us on his cell when he wants us to do something for him. And uh, he pays well, always in cash." Granger looked up at the camera in the corner when Jimmy mentioned a cell phone. Callen knew what Granger wanted so called Eric.

"Eric, check Jimmy's cell phone. It's in the bag of belongings I left for you two on my desk. Check all the numbers. Lee calls Jimmy or Harry whenever he has a job for them to do. Maybe we'll get lucky and you can track the number and locate him."

"Will do, Callen. You can count on us." Eric hung up the phone and hurried down to get the cell phone so he and Nell could get to work tracking all the calls on it.

"What can you tell us about the van you used to kidnap Deeks?" Granger asked next.

"What about it? It's a white van. Just an ordinary white van." Jimmy was confused by the question.

"No shit Sherlock! What's the license number? Any bumps or scratches? Where is it now? Tell me everything you know about it." He had come to the conclusion that Jimmy didn't have much going on between his ears.

"The license plate number is 6XA7225. Um…there's a big dent in the driver's side door. I don't know where Harry parked it."

Granger continued questioning Jimmy until he felt sure Jimmy had told them everything he knew. He then shoved the pad of paper back over in front of Jimmy "Make sure you've written down everything you've told us. Don't leave anything out. If you think of any thing else, add it to the pad. I'll be back later." Granger left the room determined to let Jimmy sweat some more before he questioned him again.

~,~,~

Hetty told Eric and Nell to find out everything they could about the Cedar Street house in Studio City and the Hall of Justice. They divided up the work with Nell looking into the records for the house and also seeing if she could find out the location of the house in Reseda. She began combing through property records trying to find it. Eric found out everything he could about the old Hall of Justice while continuing to work on pulling data from Jimmy's cell phone. He pulled all the information off it hoping to get a lead to where Lee was if the two buildings ended up being a bust. They also had a kaleidoscope search running trying to track down the white van used in Marty's abduction now that Jimmy had provided the license plate number. If they could find the van, it might lead them to the house they were searching for. They were determined to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to find the man responsible for Deeks' hospitalization.

After several hours with no success, Eric was finally able to find a phone number that looked promising. Jimmy had called it the most of all the numbers in his phone. Eric hacked into the phone company and pulled up the records for the number in question. He then got the name of the person the phone was registered to and hit pay dirt. The phone was registered to a Leon Able. It wasn't a perfect anagram for Ivan's name but with the information from the cell phone, it was close enough for Eric. He showed what he had found to Nell and she agreed with him.

"Eric, I'm going to see if I can find any properties listed under Leon Able. Can you keep looking through the cell phone for me? Maybe we'll find the house in Reseda." Nell turned to her computer and started another property search with the new name they had.

~,~,~

After talking to Director Vance, Hetty and Owen decided to 'divide and conquer'. She would return to OSP while Owen completed the interrogation of Jimmy. He would call with any additional information he obtained and would fax over the information Jimmy wrote down.

"Thanks Owen. I think we can accomplish more by dividing the workload."

"My pleasure Henrietta. My pleasure."

When Owen felt that Jimmy had sweated long enough, he returned to the interrogation room. Jimmy was sitting at the table with his head resting on it. He had filled up quite a few pages of the notebook with information about Lee. Owen read through the information, but didn't find anything about aliases. Sitting down in front of Jimmy he once again began questioning him.

"Do you know any of the aliases Lee uses?"

"Aliases?" Jimmy was confused. Of course, he wasn't the brightest bulb in the pack so Owen repeated the question with additional details.

"Yes, aliases. Other names he's gone by. Like Leon when he was torturing Deeks. Any other names you've heard him use?"

"Let me think…I've heard him use Ivan Lee and Leon…"

"I know that Jimmy, you moron. Any other names besides those two?" Owen was losing his patience quickly and the scowl on his face was deepening as the minutes passed by.

"I think he's gone by Andrew a couple of times…and…Lester." Jimmy looked at Owen hoping to see the scowl disappear but was disappointed to see it still there.

"What about last names? What last names did he use with Leon, Andrew and Lester?" Owen asked.

"Last names?"

"Come on Jimmy!" Owen barked. "What were the last names?"

"Let me think…geez man. Um, with Andrew, he used the last name Marks…I think. I'm pretty sure it was Lester North when he called himself Lester."

"What about when he called himself Leon? Any last name then?"

"Yeah, let me think…It was Leon…I know it started with an "E"…or was it an "A"? "A", that's what it started with…Ames?…no…Apps?…no…Abn…Able….yes, I'm sure, it was Able. It was Leon Able. Can I have some water?"

"Sure Jimmy, I'll send someone in with some water." Owen left the room hoping Jimmy was right about the last names. Otherwise they were on a wild-goose chase. He sent the guard into Jimmy with a bottle of water while he called the Wonder Twins and Hetty.

~,~,~

"I was right!" Eric crowed when he heard Jimmy confirm Leon Able was an alias of Ivan Lee's.

"Right on, Wolfram!" Nell and Eric exchanged high-fives.

Nell found a record of a property in Reseda under Ivan's mother's maiden name of Able after several more hours of searching. Digging further into his background, she discovered his mother had been dead for over 10 years. _"Interesting. Why would the property still be in his mother's name? This could be where he's hiding. This could be the lead we've been searching for."_ She went down to Hetty's office from ops and gave her the address and the other information they had uncovered so far.

Hetty looked over Jimmy's statement and the information just received from Nell, then went to the bullpen where Sam and Callen were pouring over the case files and the information Jimmy had provided during his interrogation.

"Gentlemen. Please check out the addresses Miss Jones sent to your smart phones. We have three; the address of a house Mr. Lee has used before and where he may be hiding out. The address of the old Hall of Justice where Lee was planning on taking Mr. Deeks from the hospital and the address of a house in Reseda that is under his mother's name. I've already informed Lt. Bates about the properties. Coordinate with him; he'll provide some additional resources since we have three addresses to check out. We know what this man is capable of so I don't need to remind you to be careful."

~,~,~

Sam and Callen met with Lt. Bates. It was decided that a team from LAPD would investigate the Hall of Justice, Jonathan Kravitz and Emilio Kennedy from NCIS would check out the Cedar street address and Sam and Callen would check out the Reseda address.

The three teams planned to execute the raids at the same time with Eric and Nell coordinating them from ops. All teams were issued coms so they were kept informed of what was found at each address in real time. When Sam and Callen checked out their address, they found a car parked in the driveway. They reported back to ops and weren't at all surprised when Hetty wanted them to carefully check out the house.

"Don't go into the house. Check it out; covertly, gentlemen, and see if Lee is there. You know what to do if he is. If not, you're on stake-out. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll return. Report back in an hour unless he returns sooner than that. We'll be waiting to hear from you."

The search of the Hall of Justice by Lt. Bates' team uncovered a complete set-up for torture already in place that was even more elaborate than had been found in Deeks' first prison. There were the same types of drugs but many more tools of torture, including a small holding tank filled with water for near-drowning a victim, a St. Andrews cross that could be used for whippings or beatings and hooks that had been placed in the ceiling holding chains that could be used to hang two people facing each other.

" _It's a good thing the attempt to snatch Deeks and his partner from the hospital was thwarted. I can't even imagine what would have been done to them in this hell hole. He wouldn't have survived a second time as Lee's prisoner. We have got to find this monster before he does any more damage."_ Bates had never understood how a person like Lee came to be. Oh, he knew the statistics and all the historical information about broken homes and abused children becoming abusers as adults. But he had seen too many people from horrible backgrounds that were good, upstanding members of society, just as he had seen too many people who had been born to wonderful parents that turned to crime. In his heart of hearts, he truly believed that some people were born with something missing; born without a conscience or without any empathy for other people; in other words evil.

Kravitz and Kennedy searched the Cedar Street house from top to bottom but found nothing of any consequence. They reported to Callen through coms that it appeared Lee had cleaned out the house soon after the abduction attempt at the hospital. There were signs of a hurried exit, almost as if the suspect hadn't taken any more time than necessary to vacate the premises.

"See if you can find anything there that may tell us where Lee might have gone in case he didn't come here." Callen stated. "Once you're done, report back to the Mission with everything you've found. One of the men trying to kidnap Deeks escaped. It's a pretty good guess he hightailed it right to Lee. Lee must have felt the location was compromised."

~,~,~

Sam and Callen parked a few houses down the street from their objective and settled in to wait. As usual, Sam began creating origami figures using the candy wrappers from Callen's tootsie pops. They were engaged in their usual banter when Callen slipped up and mentioned a woman he had been seeing without giving a name. It was all Sam had to hear to begin giving his partner a hard time and trying to find out the identity of Callen's new 'friend'.

"So who is she G? Do I know her?" Sam began to grin when he saw how uncomfortable he was making Callen. "Come on man, you know you want to tell me."

"No I don't. You don't need to know." He wasn't about to tell Sam about Nell. "She's just a friend I know. We get together sometimes. There's nothing serious going on."

"Riiiiggghhht. As if I believe that for a moment. You've got it bad G."

"Shut up Sam."


	29. Chapter 28: Planning a Trap

Kensi's not happy with the plan to trap Lee. Will she go along with it?

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show and I never will...darn it!

To my Spanish reviewer: Me alegro de que hayan disfrutado el capítulo interrogatorio. Es muy bueno saber de usted y aprecio cada revisión

To all of my guest reviewers including Caroline, Marcy, Cheryl and Jackie; thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. I wish I could answer you all personally.

To all of my regular reviewers, I appreciate hearing from each one of you. It means the world to me.

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 28 - Planning a Trap

Later that morning the team, including Owen and Hetty along with Bates, met in Deeks' room to see for themselves if he was in any kind of shape to help them come up with a plan to find and detain Ivan Lee.

"Hey kid, how are you doing?" Bates inquired. "You look a lot better than you did when you were found."

"I'm doing good…getting better every day." came the reply. "This looks serious, all three of you here at once. What's going on?"

The three visitors looked at each other. They all wanted Lee caught and the case closed. Hetty took the lead and got the meeting started.

"Mr Deeks, we're here to come up with a plan to catch Lee." Looking around the room, she continued. "We're all agreed that Lee will try to get to you again, correct?" Hetty looked at each member of her team again, waiting for buy-in from all of them. Once she had it, she nodded at Deeks as she continued. "We've been on the defensive for far too long. It's time to take matters into our own hands and set a trap for him. We need to be able to control the environment and reduce the danger to you, Mr. Deeks." Hetty was tired of playing hide and seek with that monster. It was past time to take him down.

" _Wait…wait, that can't be right. She wants to use Deeks as bait?! He's still recovering; he's not ready. What happens if Lee gets hold of him again and I'm not there to protect him?"_ Kensi began protesting. "No Hetty, no. You can't use Marty as bait. He's still recovering from what Lee did to him. He can't take another beating." She was almost yelling by this time. Marty reached over and took her hand in his to get her attention.

"Calm down Wonder Woman. I'm fine…I mean I'm good. I'm getting better all the time and I'm being very well protected with the police guard and you. Besides, I know I can count on all of you to have my back. It's gonna be okay." He was rubbing his thumb across the palm of her hand as he spoke. "We have to catch Lee and this is the best way to do it. You know that. What if he starts murdering again? He specializes in children Kens. Innocent little girls. I couldn't live with myself if we let this go and a child gets hurt when we have a chance to catch this bastard. It's worth it, being bait, it really is. Don't you see that?" His eyes were turbulent as he stared into Kensi's mismatched ones. "I have to do this, Kens. I _have_ to."

"I know. But Deeks, you can barely walk yet. You're in no shape to face him. What if something happens to you? You've already been through so much." She looked at him with glistening eyes. She was so afraid she would lose him if he let himself be used as bait; too much had happened to him already. She knew she would never put herself back together again if Lee killed him.

"I'll be okay Kens. You won't let him get close to me. I know I can count on you to have my back, you're my ladybird, my Bad Ass Blye. If he tries anything stupid, I'm sure you'll kick him in his nom de plumes. That will put him down for the count." Marty's eyes were twinkling as he gave her a little smirk.

"You are such a smart ass Deeks!"

Hetty interrupted "Now, that we've got Mr. Deeks on board, let's set up the plan.

~,~,~

Marty spoke up again. "Whatever plan we come up with will have to wait until I get out of here. He's already tried to get to me here and failed. He's too smart to try the same thing again. He'll wait until I'm home and he thinks we've let down our guard before he comes at me again." He squeezed Kensi's hand to get her attention. "By the time we have this set up, I'll be fully recovered, or at least close to it. So you see, I won't be helpless, Fern."

"You're correct Mr. Deeks. Waiting until you're out of the hospital _will_ give you time to recover more fully. You do realize you're not returning to your old apartment don't you? It's been compromised."

Marty was floored. He hadn't even entertained the idea that he wouldn't be going home to his old apartment. He liked his apartment. It was close to the beach, it took pets and it even had a fireplace; something very few apartments had. He wasn't looking forward to finding a new place to live; having to pack everything up and then unpack it once he found something. "But where will I go when I get out of the hospital? I'll have to find a new apartment right away and it's not easy to find a place that will take pets."

"Don't worry about it Mr. Deeks. It's being taken care of as we speak. Miss Jones has found a very nice house that's even closer to the beach than your apartment that she and I both think will be perfect for you. It has three bedrooms, two baths, a nice sized living room with a fireplace and a two car garage. They take pets and there's a very nice back yard for Monty to romp in. If, after you've lived there for a while, you don't like it, I'm sure we'll be able to find something more suitable to your tastes. If you do like it, the owner has indicated something could be worked out for you to rent to own perhaps."

Marty laid there in bed with his mouth open. He didn't know if he was dreaming or what. The house she described sounded too good to be true, and that bit about being able to buy it sounded like a dream come true. He knew if she said that's what the house was like, it was true. "Are you managing my life again, Hetty?" He had a twinkle in his eyes as he asked her. It reminded him of when she had shanghaied him into accepting the liaison position. That had turned out to be one of the best things that had ever happened to him and he was sure the house Nell 'found' would be perfect for him and Monty, not to mention Kensi.

"Of course not Mr. Deeks. I would never presume to do that." Hetty's lips were pursed into her signature smile as she continued. "But you're hardly in shape to be house hunting on your own right now. It's little enough we can do to help. When you leave the hospital, you'll find that all of your belongings have already been moved and all the paperwork to leave your old place is complete. Once this is over, all you have to do is take Monty to your new home. Until then we have a safe-house set up for you and Miss Blye to use. You can take Monty with you if you like.

"Thanks Hetty…it sounds fantastic…and maybe being able to buy it…I don't know what to say…thanks, a lot." He didn't know how to tell her how much it meant to him to have people in his life that wanted to do things for him without being asked. "So, if I'm not going back to my old place, how are we going to let Lee know where he can find me?"

"We're going to let him or one of his men follow you Mr. Deeks. I'm sure he has someone watching the hospital as we speak. The safe house you'll be using has a start-of-the-art security system in it and we already have agents undercover in two of the houses next to it. I'll let Mr. Beale fill you in on all of the 'bells and whistles' as he put it, of the system. The same system has been set up in your new home so once this is over, and you're in your own place, you will already be familiar with it."

"Miss Blye will be staying with you at the safe house and for a while once you get home. There will be protection around you 24/7 until Lee is in custody. I'm not taking any chances with him getting you again. You've been through enough."

"If he's going to be used as bait, we have to make sure we have eyes on him at all times. Lee has already proven how intelligent he is and that he can get to Deeks almost whenever he wants. We've been lucky so far, but that's no guarantee that something won't go wrong with our plan. Wh…wait; can we use the overwatch spray on him? That way we'll be able to track him no matter what." Kensi was pleased with herself at remembering the spray. "Even if he gets wet or they remove his watch with the GPS in it, he will still be able to be tracked."

"Excellent idea, Miss Blye, excellent. I'll set that up and after you two are in the safe house, not only Mr. Deeks, but you yourself will be sprayed with overwatch. After all, he did threaten to hurt you if Mr. Deeks tried to escape."

Marty looked at Kensi with troubled eyes as he interrupted Hetty. "He did say that Kens. I couldn't live with myself if he took you without us being able to track you and keep you safe."

"We'll have someone following you both at a discrete distance whenever you leave the house. I know you'll have the overwatch spray on you, but I want someone close to you at all times just to be safe. Ivan Lee is too smart for us to become complacent."

"But Hetty, he might spot a tail. Then he'll go underground and we might never find him." Deeks couldn't stomach the thought of Lee beginning another reign of terror by grabbing little girls and murdering them. He would do anything to see that he never had a chance to kill another child. If that meant he was bait, he was glad to be used as such to catch Lee. Besides he knew he would have everyone watching out for him. He wasn't too worried about himself. He was more worried about Kensi. He didn't want her to suffer any more than she already had.

"Don't worry Mr. Deeks. He won't spot the tail. I'll make sure of that. We'll have different cars and different teams following you. And with overwatch, your tail will be able to stay far enough back that they'll be invisible to anyone following you. When you come back to work, Lt. Bates and I have already worked out how you'll get to the Mission without being tailed. You'll be reporting to work at the precinct. We've set up an office for you there in a secured area of the building with your own assistant. That way even if Lee tries to see if you're there, he won't be able to. If he calls, your assistant will tell him you're in a meeting. As far as Lee will know that's where you'll be all day. You'll leave the precinct under cover to be brought to the mission in the morning and then go back to the precinct the same way in the evening before leaving to go 'home'."

~,~,~

Tompkins had not reported to Bates as Kensi had demanded he do so in the hospital. Instead he went home and spent the time before reporting for his next shift trying to come up with a story that would keep him out of trouble. Bates had left a message on his house phone telling him to get his ass into his office, but Tompkins ignored it. When he finally reported to Bates office at the beginning of his next shift, Bates' secretary told him he wasn't in but he was to wait there until he arrived.

"Don't think so missy. I'm about to go on duty."

Bates secretary pushed a button on her desk as Tompkins turned to leave the office. The button alerted Officer Brooks and Green waiting in the corridor outside the office door. When Tompkins opened it, he was confronted by the two of them. "Get out of my way, I'm going to be late for my shift."

Brooks and Green looked at each other. Brooked nodded his head to Green to take the lead. "Not so fast Tompkins. We have orders to make sure you wait here for Bates, so sit your ass down," she told him.

"And you think you can make me missy? I'd like to see you try."

"It won't be only her you scumbag. It will be both of us, so sit your ass down like the lady told you to. The whole station knows what you did last night."

Before Tompkins could formulate another wise ass comment, Lt. Bates came striding down the corridor. "Tompkins, get your ass in my office, now!" he barked.

Green and Brooks looked at each other as Tompkins turned around and went back into the office with his 'tail' between his legs. _"It's about time he got what's coming to him. I'm just glad I'm here to see it."_ Brooks thought.

~.~.~

Bates slammed the door as Tompkins moved into the room in front of him then strode to his desk and sat down. Tomkins went to sit down in the chair in front of his desk, but Bates growled, "I didn't tell you you could sit down Tompkins so stand there."

"What's this about…"

Bates interrupted him "Shut the fuck up. This is the last time you're going to pull a stunt like you did last night. A fellow cop could have been abducted and civilian personnel were put in danger because you deserted your post."

"I didn't…"

"I said shut the fuck up! I've already spoken to your captain, the chief of police and the police commissioner. You're fired. Give me your badge and gun."

When Tompkins hesitated and opened his mouth to say something, Bates put up his hand and said "Now! Then clear out your locker. I want you out of this precinct within the hour. You can always speak to your union rep if you think it will help your case, but you should know that he's a friend of Deeks. Now get out of my sight. I'm sick of looking at you!"

~,~,~

A few days after the attempt by Lee to snatch him from the hospital Marty was surprised to receive a visit from Wat and Hank. "What are you…how did you find out I was here? I mean, I'm glad to see you, but how did you know?"

Wat took one look at him and shook his head. "What are we going to do with you Book? Are we going to have to make good on our threat to wrap you in bubble wrap? How do you think we found out? When you missed our dinner, I called that little woman you told me about, Hetty, right? She told us a little about what had happened and that you were in protective custody. She promised she'd let us know when we could visit you. She called me last night and told me one of your attackers had been caught."

"Oh, that's right, we were supposed to meet for dinner. I forgot all about that. She told you? Really? Wow, I…I guess since Lee tried to snatch me from here…yeah, I guess I no longer need the alias I was admitted under…she didn't tell me…so…it's okay for people to know…wow. I don't know what to say, really. I'm glad to see you guys. I just wish it wasn't under these circumstances."

Hank spoke up at that point. "You're babbling again. You know that's a bad habit you have."

Deeks gave Hank a withering look. "I'm not babbling. I was imparting information to you."

"Sure you were." Hank smirked. "You have got to take better care of yourself Book. You look like death warmed over."

"Now wait just a minute. It's not my fault some whack-job I arrested years ago came looking for revenge Hank. How was I supposed to know he was going to do that? And…besides, I don't look that bad…do I?" Marty was sputtering with indignation before he realized both men were teasing him. "Oh, ha, ha…I get it. You just have to give me a hard time don't you."

Wat had been looking over him closely since arriving and finally interjected himself into the conversation. "How are you really, Book? You look like you've been put through the ringer. What did that asshole do to you?"

Deeks shuddered momentarily and could feel his heart rate rise. "You don't really want to know guys. It was bad…really bad." He took several deep breaths trying to control his emotions. "I…I didn't think I was going to survive there for a while." He shook himself. "But I did survive and I'm getting better every day. I'll be home before you know it and we'll meet for dinner. I really want you two to meet Kensi."

Both Wat and Hank started laughing. Wat took over at that point. "Too late! We met her before we got in to see you. Boy did you out-kick your coverage with her! I hope you appreciate what you have with that woman. I didn't think she was going to let us in here. She was acting like a momma bear with one cub. I would hate to ever be on her bad side, that's for sure!"

Deeks felt the flush suffusing his cheeks as he tried to come up with an answer. "You're lucky she didn't kick your ass. Be nice to her or she just might and I've got to warn you, don't ever really piss her off. She aims for a particularly vulnerable area of the male anatomy when she's really pissed."

"Noooo…she wouldn't do that, would she?" Both Hank and Wat had unconsciously positioned their hands over their groins while Deeks was talking. He smiled and nodded his head yes. He was enjoying their discomfort a little too much. But then it was only payback for all the teasing they'd been giving him.

"You should see her when she's really angry at someone. She goes to the shooting range and practices on the targets. She's a world class shot and once she's shredded the normal areas of the target she always, and I mean always, finishes up by putting a shot or two right on target in…the nads, the nom deplumes, the junk, nuts, manhood; whatever you want to call it. I've actually seen her drop kick one guy's junk into the next county."

"You're putting us on Book. You have to be. She wouldn't really do something like that, would she?" Hank's brow was furrowed thinking about what Deeks had said.

"As God is my witness, I'm not lying guys. It's the truth."

As they looked at each other, the person they were discussing popped her head in the door. "Oh, are you two still here?" Walking over to Deeks she gave him a kiss. "Are you going to _formally_ introduce me to your friends any time soon Deeks?" Taking his hand in hers, she turned to Wat and Hank and waited.

"Uh, yeah…sorry…my bad manners. Kensi Blye, meet Henry Cole, called Hank for short and William Watkins, who we call Wat. Guys, this is Kensi Blye, my girlfriend."

Kensi reached out to shake Hank's and Wat's hands. "It's nice to finally meet you. Deeks has told me a little about you two and how you helped each other out in law school. I'm sure he left out all the good bits through."

"It was our pleasure. Book's our buddy, even if we do think he should be wrapped in bubble wrap for his own protection. Does he get in as much trouble now as he did then?" Wat just had to tease Deeks a little more. He was glad he had finally found the 'one'. He could tell by looking at the two of them that they were much more than boyfriend and girlfriend. There was a spark between them and the way they each unconsciously leaned toward the other spoke volumes.

"Wait, what did you just call Deeks?" Kensi asked.

"Didn't he tell you how he got his nickname?" Hank couldn't wait to tell the story.

"He never…I didn't even know he had a nickname in law school. What did you call him again?"

Wat chimed in "We call him Book. When we were in law school, he always had his nose in a book. We had to literally drag him out of the library on a regular basis to get him to eat and have a little fun. We have so many stories we could tell you…"

Deeks interrupted, shaking his finger at Wat. "Now, don't tell Kensi about our escapades in college, or I might have to tell your wife a few stories about you, my brother."

Kensi laughed at all three of them then looked at Wat. "We'll talk later Wat, okay. I want to hear everything and I mean everything."

Deeks laid back in the bed, glad his girlfriend and his two friends were getting along as well as they were. He wasn't looking forward to her finding out about some of the things he did in college, but he figured it was a lost cause now. He would have to convince her to keep what she found out to herself or he would never be able to live it down at work.

As the three of them shared stories about him, he quietly listened, making a comment every once in a while. Before he knew it, the sound of their voices had lulled him to sleep. Kensi was the first one to notice. She touched Wat's arm before nodding her head toward him to let them know he was asleep. She knew they wanted some details of his ordeal and even though she wasn't looking forward to having to remember the dread and horror she experienced watching Deeks be tortured, his friends would be able to help him if they knew what to expect. "Shall we continue this conversation in the cafeteria?"

The three of them slipped out of his room. Kensi told the policeman on duty to let Deeks know once he woke she would be right back, then led the two men to the cafeteria. They sat down in a corner of the room away from the other people eating or talking. "Okay, I can tell you both have questions. What do you want to know?"

"What did that monster do to him? He really does look like death warmed over. And have you found the bastard yet?"

"No, we haven't found him yet, but we're getting closer every day. It was bad, really bad. That monster had him for 12 days." Kensi's eyes glistened with tears as she related everything Deeks had gone through. "Lee took great pleasure in having us watch him torture Deeks. He got off on it. I don't know how he managed to hold out and resist that monster. He was beaten and drugged every day while we were helpless to stop it. And then after all of that, he managed to escape on his own. He doesn't realize how extraordinary he is. When I get my hands on that man, he's going to be peeing through a tube and singing soprano for the remainder of his life!"

Wat and Hank both shuddered dramatically and said in unison "Ouch!"

"Oh come on guys. What is it with men and their privates. Deeks hates having a catheter and the first time I kicked some jackass in the nads, he about came unglued. He couldn't believe that I would do something like that. He said something along the lines of "that's just wrong!". Come on, it can't be that bad."

"Yes it can…and it is Kensi. You don't do that to a man. Well with the exception of Lee that is. I would love to see you kick his nuts up around his head." Hank was actually looking forward to seeing something like that happen to the man who had hurt his friend. If anyone deserved it, he did for torturing his buddy.

"He's actually looking a lot better than he was when he first got here. When we first found him after he escaped, he was nothing but skin and bones. He was covered in blood and his clothes were filthy; that is what little clothing he was wearing. He was terrified of everyone and hallucinating from all the drugs in his system."

"How are you holding up? You know we can help watch over him so you can get some rest when you need it. He's one of us too and we take care of our friends." Hank could tell she was exhausted but somehow knew she would never admit it to them. Maybe by offering to help watch Book, he and Wat could help her as well.

"Like I said, he's told me a little about the two of you. He told me you two stood by him through some bad times and never asked for anything in return. He's still not used to people wanting to be friends. You know he doesn't trust easily, but I could tell he trusted the two of you. I think it would do him a world of good for you two to be here for him. Lee is still out there and he'll try again to get Deeks."

Wat growled "If he tries it again, he'll have to go through us first! I'd like to pound him into the ground and I'm not a violent man by nature…but what he put Book through shouldn't ever happen to anyone, let alone someone like him.

~,~,~

Marty's recovery continued to be slow but steady. It took him another week before his feet were healed enough that the doctor let him quit using the wheelchair and begin walking all the time. He couldn't believe how much energy it took him to walk from his bed to the bathroom and back again the first time he was able to do so, but the smile on his face when he did it lit up the entire room. Kensi was there to see it and had happy tears in her eyes for a change.

The other members of the team as well as Marty's friends made sure she took breaks even if it was just to go home and shower. She fought them every step of the way until he finally convinced her that with everyone watching his back and the police guard on his door, it was safe for her to take some time for herself.

He improved rapidly once he was walking. Trips back and forth to the bathroom turned into walks to the nurses' station and back, then walks to the sunroom. Marty Deeks was on the mend.


	30. Chapter 29: Getting Better

I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters on the show and I never will...my minions are in their closet sobbing their little eyes out!

To all of my reviewers, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. As I've said many times, you guys are awesome and make me want to write even more. A huge thanks goes out to nherbie for reviewing each chapter of this story to make it even better. Nherbie, you rock!

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 29 - Getting Better

Over the next two weeks of his hospitalization, Marty continued to improve. He had other visitors during those weeks. He was visited by members of Brian's family. Wat and/or Hank were coming by on a regular basis to visit and also to help convince Kensi to take a break. Angela and Richard visited a week or so after Wat's and Hank's first visit. Kensi really hit it off with Angela and the two women both thought it could be the beginning of a close friendship. They left Marty and Richard talking and went to the cafeteria to get something for themselves and to talk.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you Kensi. I've been so worried about that boy. He's been alone for so long, it's nice to see how much you care for him. And I can tell he's in love with you simply by the way he looks at you. Don't hurt him please. He's had enough heartache in his life already."

Kensi could feel a flush beginning to blossom on her cheeks as Angela continued talking. "It would devastate him if you left him; you know that don't you?"

"Yes, yes I do. I feel the same way."

"Can I ask you a question?" Angela was nothing if not direct. She waited for Kensi's okay though.

"Sure, I guess. What do you want to know?"

"Why do you call him Deeks? I know you know his name is Marty; however, I've noticed your whole team calls him by his last name. Why is that?" Angela couldn't understand why they all used Marty's last name. It seemed so impersonal to her and she was determined to find out why.

"That's what he told us to call him when he first became the liaison to NCIS. I guess it's a habit now that's hard for Sam and Callen to break. It's the way Marty usually introduces himself too, you know. He tells people to call him Deeks unless he's on official business; then it's Detective Deeks."

"I understand that, but why do _you_ call him Deeks. I've seen you with him and I know how you feel about him. I'm not blind you know." Angela laughed at the look on Kensi's face.

Um…well…speaking for myself…it's because…well…"

Angela interrupted her. "You might as well admit that you two are a lot more than friends. Everyone can see it."

Kensi's blush deepened until her face was flaming red as she stammered. "Umm…yeah, you're right. You know, when he first became the liaison to NCIS, he irritated the crap out of me! He was always cracking a joke or making an outrageous comment and he loved getting a rise out of me. He so wasn't my type. At least that's what I thought then." She sighed thinking about their history together.

"You're so cute when you blush!" Angela interrupted.

"Umm…thanks? At first I thought he was a typical air-headed California surfer, but he's so much more than that. People are always underestimating him. I know I did at the beginning. I mean, he didn't seem to take anything seriously. But, I found out that's just an act; he's always had my back and protected me. He wriggled his way into my heart and now I can't imagine life without him. And well…I…I have to call him Deeks at work or else someone would notice. We're trying to keep our relationship out of the workplace. And you know Marty, he's such a teaser. He's always pushing my buttons…and he's so sexy doing it that…well, I…I'm afraid I might jump his bones right in the bullpen if I called him Marty! That wouldn't turn out well for either of us. At home, I call him either Marty or Deeks. When he's bugging me is when I usually call him Deeks. I don't know…I guess…well…I guess it's just part of our relationship now. He has about 15 nicknames for me, so its not just me you should talk to."

She got a fierce look on her face as she continued. "He's not safe yet either. Lee is still out there waiting for the chance to grab him again. I'm not going to let that happen. Deeks…he's always had my back and I've had his. But right now, he needs me more than he's willing to admit. We came so close to losing him this time. I didn't know what I was going to do if he died. He means the world to me. "

"Just promise me you'll take care of him."

"I will, I promise. He's very easy to want to take care of."

Angela was completely serious now and Kensi could see the love for Marty on her face. "Yes he is, isn't he. I worry so about him. He is always putting himself in the line of fire to protect others. He's done it since I've known him. And he takes on guilt so easily. When he stayed with us after he was tortured by Guerrera, he was blaming himself for not realizing sooner that Guerrera was dirty."

"What? Wait…you mean he's been tortured before? My God, I never knew. He's never said anything about it to me." Kensi felt like she had been blindsided by this nugget of information.

"That's just like Marty. He never wants anyone to worry about him."

"Did you know both he and Sam were tortured after one of our cases was blown? Afterward, he withdrew from everyone. I mean he had to take time off to heal, but he seemed so lost. He wouldn't answer my phone calls or his door when I went by his apartment to see if he was okay. We all thought for a while that he would never come back."

"Oh Kensi, that's what he does, he withdraws from everyone to lick his wounds in private. He tried to do the same thing after Guerrera, but Richard and I put a stop to it right away. We took him home with us and took care of him even though he didn't want to put us to any trouble. He kept begging us to let him leave because he felt guilty about waking us up screaming from the nightmares he was having but we wouldn't let him. Once I was finally was able to get through to him, he opened up a little bit about the nightmares and his childhood. No one should have to go through what he did. "

"He's having nightmares now too, but he doesn't talk much about them. He usually says he can't remember them, but I think he's just trying to protect me. He finally told me about Sam, his adoptive father and I know some of what happened to him as a child. When he was found; actually I should say rather when he escaped and was found by Ben Davis he was a mess. Ben called us, and when we got there, he didn't even recognize us…me. He was looking all around for Sam, saying he needed him and that he had promised to stay with him. We didn't understand who he was talking about. We thought he was hallucinating or that he was confused because of our team mate Sam Hanna."

The two women continued talking about Deeks and how they could help him get better without feeling smothered.

~,~,~

While Kensi and Angela were in the cafeteria, Richard and Marty were talking in his room. He'd been trying to downplay his injuries while Angela was still there, but as usual Richard saw right through him.

"Now that we're alone, tell me how you're really doing. And don't try to blow smoke up my ass Marty. I know you too well. You had everyone looking for you, you young pup. We were all worried that we'd never see you again."

"I'm doing okay. I mean, I hurt all over right now, especially my ribs and my feet. But that's still better than when I first arrived. At least now, I know who everyone is and I'm not hallucinating about purple dogs or plants with fangs." He shuddered as he remembered some of the more vivid hallucinations he'd experienced while under the influence of all the drugs Lee forced on him. "I can't believe I didn't recognize my team when they found me. Hell, Richard, I didn't even remember Ben and I've been to his house a few times for dinner! I was a complete basket case when I first got here from all the drugs in my system." He nervously ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his cheeks while he looked around the room trying to keep his emotions in check. He hated the fact that they were so close to the surface. It seemed like lately anything set them off and he wasn't used to having so little control over himself.

He wouldn't look at Richard as he started talking once more. "I put my team and my friends through hell. They…they had to watch what happened to me. It's my fault Kensi had to go through that…"

Richard interrupted him "Stop right there, Marty! Don't you dare start blaming yourself! Put the blame where it belongs; on Ivan Lee. He's the one that put not only you but your whole team and your friends through hell. Him, not you. What he did to you; well most people wouldn't have survived it. Don't you realize that? You not only survived it, you escaped by yourself and you're getting better every day. You're the strongest man I've ever known and I'm proud to call you a friend. So don't get down on yourself or I may just have to put you across my knee and give you a good swat or two."

"You wouldn't, would you…seriously?" Marty looked at him in surprise sputtering, "I…I mean, I'm a grown man for crying out loud. I don't need a spanking."

"Then act like a grown man!" Richard growled. "I may be the 'old dog' here but you're acting like a child. You did nothing wrong; you did everything right. If you can't see that, I figure I've not only earned the right to set you straight but it's my responsibility to do so if you can't do it yourself. Consider it part of your ongoing training from your training officer. Now, answer me truthfully; who is to blame for everything that's happened in the last two plus weeks? Is it really you or is it the people who abducted and tortured you?"

Marty looked at him quizzically, then did what he had been told; reviewing everything that happened and what Richard was telling him. After taking some time, he finally realized what Richard said was the truth. He sighed but then with a twinkle in his eye, he looked at Richard and quipped. "Okay, okay, I get it; really I do. Lee is to blame for everything…Dad".

"Did you just call me Dad?"

"Yep, you're sounding like one and you're treating me like a son, so I think you should have the name as well."

Richard looked him over carefully. "I don't know…I'm not sure I want a scruffy looking surfer like you for a son. If I can get Angela to give you a nice brush cut like mine, maybe I'll claim you." Richard could give as good as he got.

Marty burst out laughing. "Who's scruffy looking?"

"You are. If the shoe fits, it fits son. Admit it." Richard was laughing right along with Marty.

"I'm not scruffy looking. Uh uh, not me. I'll have you know I have great hair! And I like my hair just the way it is…styled by pillow." He put his hands up in front of him as if to keep Richard away. "No way…no brush cut for me. Besides, Angela likes my hair and so does Kensi. Angela would never give me a brush cut and you know it. Kensi would probably shoot you if you cut my hair."

"You're probably right Marty. Ang does have a soft spot for you and that girl of yours has been like a mama bear with a single cub to protect."

Marty laughed again hearing Richard's description of Kensi. "That's exactly what Hank and Wat said about her! I guess great minds do think alike."

They continued talking, reminding each other of some of the things they had encountered when they were partnered, the family dinners and the feeling of belonging he always felt when he was in their home. He thanked Richard once again for taking him in after the Guerrera operation, still feeling slightly guilty about the amount of turmoil he'd brought into their home as he was recovering.

"So you've told me how you're feeling physically, but what about the rest. How often and how bad have the nightmares been?" Richard knew Marty was prone to them, especially when sick or hurt. He wasn't as capable of handling his demons when he wasn't healthy. He'd seen first-hand evidence of it after the Guerrera case. He waited patiently for Marty to begin talking. He knew how hard it was for him to open up and voice his fears.

Marty glanced around the room before answering Richard. "I've had some. Not many really bad ones though. Kensi being here has helped…a lot. I sleep better when she's with me." He paused then continued. "She's…she's my Angela, you know? She completes me…I mean I thought I was a whole, complete person before I met her with a pretty good life. I mean I had some friends and those like you and Angela that are like family to me, but Kens and I…well together we're more than two messed up people. It's like we were each one-half of a whole person until we met each other; then we became one complete human being. Does that even make sense?" His blue eyes were piercing as he looked at Richard. "Even when I feel like I know everything there is to know about her, she'll surprise me with something she says or does. I don't know what I would do without her. She makes everything that's happened worthwhile you know? She makes me want to be a better cop, a better partner and a better man. I want to be someone she will never have to be ashamed of. I'm happier than I've ever been Richard. Sometimes I get scared that I'm not meant to be happy, but when I feel that way, all I have to do is look at her to realize that's not true."

"She could never be ashamed of you. I saw the way she looks at you Marty. She's so in love with you; as much as you are with her. Why haven't you acted on your feelings and asked her to marry you?" Richard couldn't understand what was holding him back. The way the two of them looked at each other was like no one else existed in the entire world. He had no trouble recognizing it because he and Angela were the same way. When you found a love like that you grabbed it with both hands so he knew there was more going on than what Marty was telling him.

Marty ran his hands through his hair again. "It's really complicated. For you to understand it, I have to start at the beginning. To make a long story short, she was hurt badly by her fiancé when he walked out on her without a word on Christmas morning. She thought it was all her fault and that convinced her that all the men in her life would leave her; her dad died, Jack left and the partner she had before me was killed. She erected this huge wall around her heart and each time she was left behind, she built it higher. She wouldn't let anyone get close to her because of her fear." He sighed as he thought back to how closed off Kensi had been when he first met her.

"It took me a long time to get past that wall…and let's face it, I've got more than enough of my own demons when it comes to relationships. I've always felt like anything good I find will be ripped away from me when I least expect it and if you factor in my old man…well, let's just say I've never been sure I'm good husband or father material."

"Bull feathers Marty! I know you. You will be a great husband and a wonderful father. You're nothing like your old man."

Marty looked at him with gratitude. "Thanks, but Kens and I…well…we have trouble communicating with each other which makes everything even harder. We both have our demons and secrets that have been really hard to share with each other. We're finally at a good place in our relationship. We're practically living together and then this happens. I don't think it's the right time now to propose."

"Just ask the woman. I think you'll be surprised at her answer."

"I plan on asking her. I already have the ring. It's just…I haven't found the right time yet and now…with everything that's happened…well, I'm just not sure of anything at the moment if you must know." Marty was frustrated, mostly at himself, and Richard could see it.

Richard shook his head at the thought of the two of them sniffing around each other like two dogs in heat, but too afraid to really admit how they felt to each other. He wanted to knock some sense into both of them. "If you wait for the 'right time', you may never ask her to marry you, you idiot! There aren't many 'right times' in life. It's just life. None of us knows when our time will be up. If you want her, tell her! Get off your ass and ask her to marry you. Otherwise you may end up regretting it one day."

"I've actually been thinking about it a lot since I landed in the hospital this time. I don't want to wait anymore, but what if she says no? I don't think I could handle it if she did." Marty looked at Richard with troubled eyes.

"She's not going to say no. I guarantee it. I see how she looks at you. Just ask her will you? It's time you started living life with the woman you love by your side."

~,~,~

Ben Davis dropped by one day and they had a good visit. He poked his head in the door not sure if Deeks would remember him. He was relieved when Deeks called out. "Ben! Come on it. It's good to see you. I heard how you took care of me when you found me." Deeks looked down at his lap and then back up at Ben. "I'm sorry I didn't remember you."

"Don't worry about it. You'd been pumped full of drugs." He was even more adamant than Richard and told him in no uncertain terms he had nothing to apologize for. He could see how much better the younger man was doing. "You're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you Deeks. You looked like a strong wind would blow you away then. How are you doing? And don't lie to me either, young man."

"I'm doing good Ben. I still have a lot of weight to gain back and my feet are still a little sore, but at least I can walk now and not have to use the wheelchair to get around. I'm getting better every day. I can't wait to get out of here, but I'm listening to the doctors…and her." He grinned looking at Kensi then added "I bet you're surprised to hear that aren't you? Oh wait, I'm forgetting my manners. Ben, this is Kensi, Kensi, this is Ben."

"Good to see you again Ben." She turned to Deeks with a smirk. "I met him when he found you. We introduced ourselves then."

"You did?" He looked slightly abashed as the two of them laughed.

"Well, we couldn't exactly go around calling each other 'hey you', now could we?" Ben teased.

Kensi saw the look on his face and rushed to assure him they weren't laughing at him, but at the situation. "It feels good to be able to laugh again. I've been so worried about you for so long." She reached over and took his hand in hers as she explained.

The three of them sat there exchanging stories about Deeks and each other for almost an hour. Ben was sorry when he had to leave to get home to his wife, but before he left, he invited them both over for dinner once Deeks was out of the hospital and Lee was back behind bars.

~,~,~

The day finally arrived for Marty to gain his 'freedom' from the hospital. He was so excited about finally going home he could barely contain himself; his knee was bobbing up and down as he sat on the edge of the bed waiting for his release papers to arrive. Kensi, sitting beside him could feel him almost vibrating with excitement. It had been a long three weeks in the hospital before the doctors would consider letting him leave. Though he had regained some of the weight he lost while held prisoner by Lee, he was still seriously underweight. He had graduated from the very restrictive diet he had been on to prevent refeeding syndrome to a more normal diet recommended by the hospital dietician. He could have regular food, but he was supposed to keep his meals on the small side for a while longer. That hadn't been a problem for him because he found he didn't have much of an appetite while in the hospital. He blamed it on the food. What he wouldn't have given for some Drunkin Pigs for dinner one night, but he couldn't convince Kensi to sneak some in. The nutritionist cautioned him about following her recommendations carefully and wanted him to include a high-calorie supplement to help him gain some of the weight back.

He wasn't back to full strength yet either; working with a therapist to rebuild his muscles and stamina still exhausted him. The therapist had given him strict orders to take it easy and besides following the dietary plan recommended, follow the plan the therapist had devised for him.

On his last visit, the doctor insisted he had to have someone stay with him once he left the hospital.

He'd told him "It's all been taken care of doc. Kensi's going to be staying with me for a while." The doctor didn't need to know it was part of the plan to take Lee down.

Marty couldn't wait to see his 'new' home and Monty again. The longer it took for the papers to arrive the more nervous he became. He started running his hands through his hair and then rubbing them along his jeans as he sat on the bed and kept looking toward the door.

"Marty, be patient. The papers will be here soon and we'll blow this popsicle stand."

"I know…I know…but I can't wait to get a burger and fries…or how about the Drunkin Pigs from Yummy Yummy Heart Attack? He was almost drooling thinking about all the food he was finally going to get to have he'd been missing for the previous month.

"How about we follow your nutritionist's advice and maybe have a small salad, and some soup? Kensi replied.

"Aw, come on Kens! I'm better, why can't I have a burger and fries. The burger is on the lists of foods I can have and so are potatoes. Fries are potatoes you know." he pouted. "Besides she said I could have regular food, but to keep my meals on the small side for a while. Can I at least have a junior burger with my salad, pretty please? I'm never going to gain the weight back I need to if I have to eat salads all the time."

"Well, maybe this one time a junior burger to celebrate your release from the hospital won't hurt." Kensi gave in and saw his eyes light up in anticipation.


	31. Chapter 30: The Safe House

Marty and Kensi get their first look at the safe house. It's a huge surprise to both of them.

I just checked my bank account and darn it! I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters! My minions are shaking their heads and muttering to themselves over the unfairness of it all. Two of them, Happy and Smutty, took turns helping out with this chapter. I hope you like their input.

To all of my regular reviewers, I appreciate hearing from each one of you. It means the world to me and I think I've answered everyone I could. I wish I could respond to my guest reviewers as well, but I can only do it here. I love hearing from you as well! Thanks so much. I can't believe I've received over 350 reviews. Awesome!

To my French reviewer, I didn't think about including Kip in this story. I've read nherbie's story with Kip in it and I didn't think I could do the character justice.

To my Spanish reviewer: Gracias por el review. Yo tenía un montón de diversión a escribir sobre sus amigos y su petición de principio Kensi con respecto a la hamburguesa es lo que veo Deeks la actuación después de estar en una dieta tan restrictiva durante tanto tiempo.

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 30 - The Safe House

The two of them left the hospital with Deeks in the wheelchair and Kensi pushing him. As soon as he and Kensi were out the front doors, he had her stop so he could stand up. He stood and turned his head up to feel the warm rays of the sun on his face while she returned the wheelchair to the nurse who had walked out with them. He could feel the muscles in his entire body relaxing as he smelled the ocean and saw the gulls flying overhead. _"Man I bet the surf is awesome today. I wish I could be out there, but Kensi would kill me if I tried to go to the beach and I know I'm not up to it yet anyway. Dammit! I can't wait until I can get back on my board and paddle out beyond the swells and sit there soaking up the sun, the sand, the smell and the feel of the ocean."_

As they got closer to Kensi's car, Marty was surprised but happy to see Monty in the back seat. The dog was practically beside himself wriggling and wagging his tail so hard he could hear it hitting the seats and the inside of the door. He had his paws on the window voicing soft woofs as if to tell his master to hurry up and pet him, now! Marty opened the door ending up with his arms full of wriggling fur as Monty put his front paws on his chest and proceeded to lick every inch of his exposed skin he could reach.

Marty rubbed his head and scratched behind his ears. "Down boy! I'm okay. Did you miss Daddy? I missed you too. I can tell you're feeling all right now though. You ready to get this show on the road?" He received another woof in reply. Turning to Kensi he laughed out loud. "You heard Monty; let's get this show on the road Sugarbear!" He climbed into the passenger seat of the car and had no sooner sat down and buckled in before Monty crawled into his lap for more attention. Both of them waited while Kensi loaded up the cards and a few of the gifts he had received throughout his stay. He'd asked that the flowers and plants be passed out to the other patients so they could continue to brighten up someone's day. The stuffed animals he'd received had gone to the pediatrics ward to bring comfort to the sick children there. The few gifts he kept included a bonsai tree Hetty had given him and the stuffed bear carrying a surfboard Kensi had found. She still hadn't told him where she had found it, but he loved it.

Kensi pulled out of the hospital's parking lot and turned left. Marty reached over and put his hand on her thigh and began rubbing soft circles over her skin. She kept glancing at him and smiling. She couldn't wait to get him home and alone. She had plans for the two of them. It had been too long since they'd been able to physically show each other their love.

"Where is this safe house we're going to anyway?" he asked as she continued driving through Los Angeles.

"You're just going to have to wait to find out. It's a surprise."

"It's a good surprise, right? I've had enough of the other kind." He noticed a blue sedan a few cars behind them. He was sure he'd seen it at the hospital when they left. When Kensi made another turn he watched the sedan make the same turn and was convinced they were being followed.

"I'm sure it's good since Hetty set it up." She smiled as she continued. "You know she has a soft spot for you even if she does call you a 'cheeky bastard' on a regular basis."

"Yeah, I think I'm her favorite…just don't tell Callen. He'll pout." He chuckled remembering times Hetty had called him that. "Have you noticed the car following us? It's a blue sedan about a block back."

"I noticed it." She tapped her earwig and gave Callen and Sam the make and model of the car trailing them. "I can't make out the license plate, they're too far away, but the car is definitely following us. It picked us up right outside of the hospital parking lot."

Callen answered her on coms. "We've got them in sight. Keep on like normal, let us handle it."

"Do you think it's Lee or more of his goons?" Marty wasn't looking forward to spending days in the safe house waiting for Lee to make his next move. He wanted his life back and Lee in prison where he belonged.

Kensi quickly glanced at him. She could tell he was worried but wouldn't admit it. "I'm pretty sure you know it's him. I can't wait to see him and his associates in cuffs." she growled.

"Whoa there Wonder Woman. You'll get your chance at them before this is over." He reached over once again and slowly slid his hand up her inner thigh eliciting a soft moan from her.

"Behave Deeks, I'm driving here"

"I didn't do anything, anything at all. I was just trying to calm you down Kens." He smirked at her.

"Doing what you're doing isn't going to calm me down and you know it. Just wait until I get you to the safe house."

"Are you going to take advantage of me Kensalina? And me still recovering, you wicked woman you."

"Look who's talking. You're such a perv. You can't wait to be alone with me. I know all about you, mister." She grinned at him and continued "Besides I think every single delicious inch of you will have to be explored thoroughly once we get there." She kept glancing at him and could see his eyes darken with desire. "I promise I'll be gentle."

"I can do gentle…and slow. I can't wait to give you some long, slow, wet kisses. I plan on driving you crazy before I'm done with you."

"Keep that thought." She glanced back and could see the car still following behind them. Knowing Sam and Callen were watching out for them gave her a sense of relief. Nothing was going to happen to Marty as long as the three of them were watching over him.

He looked around when he realized they were headed toward Venice Beach. "You didn't answer me before. Where is this safe house Hetty's putting us up in?"

"It's not too far from Venice Beach. She said it's the most secure safe house available right now. It's one of three on the same street. The other two are being used for the teams guarding us. She isn't taking any chances that Lee might be able to snatch you again. When you were missing, she was really…well, I've never seen her that worried about anyone before, not even Callen."

~,~,~

He glanced at her and smiled as he quipped. "She was? I guess I really _am_ one of her favorites."

He looked back out the car window watching the ocean and seemed to get lost in contemplation. Silence filled the car for a few minutes before he spoke again. "I can't wait for this to be over. I'm tired of worrying about Lee and what he might do to you and everyone else to get to me." He sighed, reaching up and running his hands through his hair. "And I know he's coming; hell we all know that. Let's hope this plan works."

She reached over and took his left hand in hers. "We'll get him. This is going to work, I know it. And then we'll have our lives back. It's going to be wonderful."

He looked at her and saw a dazzling smile on her face. "When you look at me like that I believe everything you're saying. I know we'll get him. I'm just worried, you know; I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

~,~,~

When Kensi pulled up and parked in the driveway of the safe house they would be staying at, Marty looked at it and then looked at her in astonishment. "Wow! This place is great, really. You didn't tell me it was almost on the beach."

"I didn't know it was. I'm as surprised as you are." She glanced back one last time and saw the car that had been following them come to a stop at the end of the block. "Boy, they sure don't know how to tail someone. They're about as subtle as a rock slide." She let Callen know over coms where the car had parked.

"Thanks Kens. We're coming up to your street now. We're going to try to get some pictures of the driver and passenger as we pass by. I'll let you know what we get. The wonder twins are already running the license plate. We were able to pass it on to them a few miles back. We'll come for a visit later to help you get everything set up."

"See you then Callen." Kensi turned to Deeks "Are you ready to see what the inside of the house looks like?"

Marty just grinned at her as he climbed out of the car. He was getting ready to go around the car to her when he realized his pants were hanging a little low on his hips. He pulled them up so he wouldn't inadvertently flash any of the neighbors. _"I have to get a belt or they're going to be down around my feet at any moment. Not that it would be a bad thing if Kens and I were in the bedroom, but out here, yeah, awkward!"_

He held onto his pants with one hand and grabbed Kensi's hand with the other. Monty followed behind them staying as close to his human as possible. He had missed Deeks terribly and was determined to protect him. It was almost as if he knew his master wasn't back to normal yet.

"You're drooping there Sweet Cheeks." Kensi playfully tugged at his pants. Thank God he was holding them up firmly with one hand; otherwise they would have been down around his ankles.

"Stop it Kens. You're not helping!" he growled as she tugged at them again while giggling. "I need a belt to hold them up since I've lost so much weight. Can you find a belt for me before the guys get here? Please? Find me a belt…find me a belt…find me a belt…please." He pulled her closer each time he mentioned 'belt' until she was as close as possible. "I don't want to moon the neighbors. I'd never hear the end of it." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes and she melted.

"Come on, I'll find you a belt. I don't want anyone seeing your 'assets' besides me."

"TMI, guys…too much information!" Sam laughingly called out over coms.

"Ha, ha Sam. Real funny."

~,~,~

They proceeded to the front door together. She unlocked the door and they went inside, both stopping with their mouths hanging open. Right in front of them was a wall of glass letting golden light into the entire interior of the first floor and giving them a gorgeous view of the beach and the ocean. The house backed up to a small park so there were no houses between them and the beach and the entire first floor windows were situated to make the most of the view.

"This place is awesome! Look at that view." Marty was floored. He wondered if the rest of the house was as beautiful as the front room. "Let's check out the rest of the house."

He and Kensi looked in every room, taking their time and admiring the gorgeous views from each one. The kitchen included a breakfast nook with windows that also provided a view to the park and beach. There was a full bath downstairs next to a guest room with another great view. Kensi carried their bags upstairs with Deeks following and discovered the hallway ran at the front of three bedrooms and another bathroom. They looked into the master bedroom first. It included a bath with a huge tub and walk-in shower. She deposited Deeks' go-bag on the bed and then got a belt from it and handed it to him.

"Thanks Kens…you're the best."

"Ooh, I think I'm going to like it here. Look at that tub!" Kensi was almost beside herself looking at the tub and thinking about everything she and Marty could do together in it.

Marty had the biggest smile on his face and the light in his ocean blue eyes was full of mischief. "I think we need to try out that tub right now. What do you say Kens?"

"I think we should check in with Hetty and check out the security system first, but soon Marty, soon."

"Aww, come on Kens, it's been forever. I missed this, us. Besides, you said you needed to check out every inch of me." he backed her up to the bed, bestowing kisses on her mouth and neck while caressing her breasts through the thin material of her top; trying to convince her to let him have his way. She was having trouble thinking about anything but the feel of his lips on her skin.

"Hey you two, get a room!" came over coms from a laughing Callen this time.

"We've got a room Callen…and it's a great room! You should see it. You're going to be so jealous, man." Marty quipped.

"Maybe I am, but I don't need or want to hear anything that you two are planning on doing later, believe me. I'm so not up for that. Besides, we're pulling up to the house now. We have work to do."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll be right down." Marty turned off his coms and gave Kensi one last searing kiss before reluctantly letting her go. "Just you wait" he growled.

~,~,~

Harry, along with a new man Ivan had paired him with, had followed Kensi and Deeks from the hospital all the way to the safe house. Harry didn't like or trust the new man. There was just something about him that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. And his name was ridiculous. No parent would ever name their son Dawg, but he insisted he be called that. Harry didn't think he could trust him, but the boss liked him, so Harry was stuck with him. They watched as Deeks slowly walked up to the front door with his partner and disappeared into the house. They continued sitting there watching to see if anyone else showed up, getting more bored by the minute.

When Harry saw Sam's Challenger pass him and then stop at the place Deeks was now staying, he perked up. He decided there was nothing to worry about when he saw two men climb out of the car and then proceed to the front door where they were greeted by the man in question. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Just friends paying a call on their buddy at his new place of residence.

~,~,~

Kensi and Marty went downstairs and opened the front door as Callen and Sam were heading up the sidewalk.

"Welcome to my humble abode for the next few days." Marty had a huge grin plastered on his face as he ushered Callen and Sam through the front door into the living room. The looks on their faces when they saw the view from the front room was priceless.

As soon as both men were inside, Sam pulled out the overwatch spray. "Okay you two, where do you want this?"

Kensi and Deeks exchanged a look. Deeks replied "I don't care. Is there anyplace that's better than others? If not, I guess the back of my neck is fine with me. What about you Fern?"

Rolling her eyes at Deeks at the nickname, she agreed. "That's as good a place as any"

"Okay, here goes." Sam sprayed both of them with a healthy dose of the spray. "Callen, call Nell and see if this is working, okay?"

"Sure partner." Callen wanted to hear her voice anyway. He walked back toward the front door from the living room. "Nell, Sam's sprayed both Kensi and Deeks. Would you check and see if they're showing up on the overwatch program?"

"Sure thing Callen. Just give me a minute." She got to work checking out the program to make sure Kensi and Deeks showed up. Callen could hear her talking softly to herself. He always got a kick out of watching her really concentrate on a task because she usually talked to herself when she did so, but didn't even realize it. She came back to the line after a couple of minutes.

"Everything looks great here. From what I'm seeing, they're in the living room of the safe house. Is that where they are?"

"Got it in one little spider. I can't wait to see you tonight. I have plans." he whispered to her before hanging up. Heading back into the living room, he gave all three people the thumbs up. "Nell says it working like a charm! She even knew what room you two were in."

~,~,~

"Have you found the mini ops center yet?" Sam inquired.

"Not yet." Kensi continued. "I believe Eric said it was in one of the bedrooms upstairs. We were exploring them when you arrived. Come on, we'll find it now."

With Kensi leading the way, all four of them trooped upstairs to find the ops setup Hetty assured them was in the safe house. They found it in the room right next to the master bedroom. Callen called Nell again to have the wonder twins walk them through the setup. While he was talking to Nell, Marty looked around and realized the two rooms had an adjoining door between them. _"It would be a great room for a little mutant ninja assassin or two," he thought. "I can just see a little girl and a little boy in my future. I hope Kensi sees it too. I want it so much. I realized when Lee had me that time is passing us by and anything could happen at any time to one or both of us. I want to move forward so I don't have any regrets."_

He made up his mind right then that as soon as Lee was back in prison, he was getting the ring from Hetty and asking Kensi to marry him. _"All I have to do is figure out where and when. I want it to be romantic. She has to say yes, she just has to. I want to be with her forever and I want it now. Nothing like almost dying to finally get it through my hard head!"_

Callen and Sam began following the instructions the wonder twins were giving them to get the security system up and running. They were turning the monitors on and setting everything up as directed. Once everything was hooked up and turned on, they heard Nell. "Give us about 10 minutes to check everything out and we'll let you know if there is anything else to do, okay?"

"Sure Nell. Call us when it's done." Callen took another look into the master bedroom and bath. He wistfully thought how much fun it would be for him and Nell to use that tub…and that shower. It had multiple jets in it that would be amazing to use. Maybe he could get Hetty to let them use the house for a long weekend once the case was closed.

Within 10 minutes the wonder twins appeared on the plasma in front of them telling the entire team everything looked good and was working correctly. Eric started walking them through how the house was set up; the safeguards imbedded in the walls and even the location of the safe room, if it became necessary, with Nell and he taking turns doing the talking like always. It always amazed the team how they could finish each other's sentences and thoughts when it came to keeping everyone as safe as possible.

Once everything was set up and the team indicated they understood how everything worked, Nell and Eric signed off wishing everyone a good day. "Call us if you need anything" Nell said.

Sam and Callen left shortly afterward. "Don't do anything we wouldn't do, guys." Callen teased. He and Sam both noticed the sedan was still in the same place as they left the safe house.

~,~,~

Marty opened the small armory in the master bedroom that would ensure they had all the weapons and ammo they might need in the event of an attack while they were alone. It would give them the advantage while waiting for the teams in the other houses on the block to get to them.

"Cool setup. Do you see this Kens?" Marty was standing in front of the display of weapons, practically drooling over some of them. He still preferred his own gun, but it gave him a sense of comfort to see how many other armaments they had available to them.

"Yeah, I see it Deeks. Let's hope we don't need it."

"Yeah, you're right Kens," Marty sighed. Her comment brought back some disturbing memories for him. He didn't want Lee anywhere near her. He hoped the attack he knew was coming at some point was intercepted by Sam, Callen and the other's watching both of them. He was more than willing to sit that confrontation out if it would keep Kensi safe from harm. He pulled her into his arms and began kissing her when both of them heard her stomach grumble loudly.

"Sounds like someone is hungry!"

"I am. Feed me Deeks."

"Let's go see what's been stocked in the kitchen. I'm sure we can find something….or we could order in. Maybe a pizza instead of a burger? Just this once?" He tilted his head and looked at her through his bangs.

She could never resist that look. "Pizza sounds good, but we have to have salad too."

~,~,~

When the door bell rang, Kensi looked out the peep hole first and saw it was the pizza delivery. She paid the man and took the pizza into the kitchen. Marty had made good on her suggestion and made a salad for each of them. She wasn't the only one groaning in pleasure as they dug into their. Marty didn't think he had ever tasted anything as good as the slice of pizza he ate along with his salad. He also couldn't believe how full he was after his single slice was devoured!

They enjoyed their meal and then found some reality show to watch. Before long, he was half asleep with Kensi snuggled into his side; her hand on his chest where she could feel the strong beating of his heart. "Deeks, come on, let's go to bed."

Marty gave her a soft smile as he whispered "You want to have your wicked way with me, don't you Sugarbear? Be gentle with me, I'm still recovering."

She stood up and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet. "Don't worry, you're safe with me. I'm going to love you like there is no tomorrow."

"That sounds wonderful. I can't wait." He followed her up the stairs into the master bedroom. She pushed him down so that he was sitting on the bed."

"Wait there. I have a surprise for you." She turned toward the bathroom.

"Am I going to like it?" he smirked at her.

Of course you are! Now be a good boy for a couple of minutes and I'll make it worth your while."

She disappeared into the bathroom and he heard the sound of water filling up the tub. Thoughts of them both naked in the bath filled his head and he began imagining everything he wanted to do with her. He was so absorbed in his fantasy, he didn't notice how long it took before she was standing in front of him.

"Earth to Deeks!"

"Wha…what?"

"Come with me, sweet cheeks."

"I'm yours to command Fern."

Marty's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he entered the bathroom. She had turned it into a fairy land; the lights were down low with candles scattered around the room for illumination. The tub was full of bubbles. He stood there in shock before realizing that Kensi had begun undressing him. "I can do that", he growled playfully; slapping her hands away, his eyes darkening with desire.

"Let me. You can return the favor in a minute, I promise." Kensi purred as she reached over, grabbed the waist band of his boxers and slid them down to his ankles so he could step out of them. As soon as he was naked, she began bestowing kisses on his legs working her way up to his groin. She could see the effect she was having on him as she came closer to his manhood. When she took the tip of his penis into her mouth and began sucking gently, he almost came right then and there. He groaned "Kensi stop or I'm going to be done before we even get started."

"Spoilsport." She stood up in front of him and kissed him passionately before whispering. "Your turn lover boy."

He looked at the woman he loved; then began undressing her, taking his time and kissing every part of her body as he unveiled it. As he slid her panties down, he spread her thighs and slipped a finger inside her, sliding it in and out several times. He smirked when she gasped. "Turn about is fair play, Fern." He continued sliding his hand over her entrance while slipping first one finger and then two in and out, increasing his tempo and watching as she began gasping in pleasure. He took his time and brought her to the brink several times before backing off and then doing it again. When he finally let her climax he had to hold her close until she could stand on her own again. They were both breathing heavily by that point.

He leaned her back and looked at the vision in front of him. She was clothed in nothing but her skin and he couldn't get enough of it. He looked at her once more drinking in the sight whispering "You are so beautiful Kens. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"I'm the lucky one. Come on, let's get you in the tub and then I'll join you."

"I can get in the tub by myself, you know" he grinned at her.

"I know, but I want to help." She smacked him on the ass causing him to jump. "Now let me help you."

"Okay…okay…geesh…you're bossy, you know that?"

"You better believe it mister!"

By this time he was in the tub and she was climbing in to sit down behind him. "Scoot forward a little bit." She began washing his hair and smiled as he gave a low groan of pleasure. Once his hair was clean, she washed his back carefully, especially the bruises that still marked his torso. She took her time with the washcloth, interspersing her caresses with kisses for all of his 'owies'. "Turn around Marty so I can get your front." She waited until he was facing her and repeated her ministrations. By the time she was done, his pupils were blown with desire once again and his excitement was quite obvious.

"My turn Deeks" she whispered as she took him into her mouth. When he groaned yet again, she smirked at him from her position between his legs before proceeding, bringing him to a thunderous climax before she was done.

He put his hands under her arms and pulled her up to him. He then leaned in to claim her lips. Before their bath was complete, water had been sloshed out of the tub onto the floor on several different occasions and they were tangled up together riding out yet another epic climax.


	32. Chapter 31:Waiting

Deeks returns to work. He finds out how closely he's being watched by Hetty and Kensi.

We're coming to the end of this story. Just five more chapters to go after this one. Much thanks to everyone who is still with me on this journey.

I just checked and I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters! I got tired of hearing my minions grumbling and banished them to their closet.

To all of my regular reviewers, I appreciate hearing from each one of you. It means the world to me. I can't believe I've received over 350 reviews. Awesome! FF has not been posting the reviews I received for the last chapter and I've been having trouble answering them using my smart phone. I appreciated every review I received and I will answer them if FF ever posts them or I figure out what's going on with my phone.

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 31 - Waiting

The following Monday Marty drove himself to the precinct while Kensi went to the Mission. As expected, he was followed to work by the same car that had been watching he and Kensi all weekend. He chuckled to himself as he remembered they would be watching the precinct while he was actually in OSP. _"It couldn't happen to nicer people"_ He reported to Lt. Bates who then slipped him out the back of the building and handed him over to an NCIS driver for the trip to OSP. The car had blacked out windows so there was no chance that Deeks would be seen by anyone.

Once they were on the road, Deeks got acquainted with the driver.

"I don't think I know you. I'm Marty, Marty Deeks. What's your name?"

"Hi Marty. I'm Alan, Alan Bardsley. I'm part of Rico's team. Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. I've heard about Rico's team. You guys do good work. You're out of Santa Barbara, right?"

"Yes, we are, but right now we're down two people, so we aren't catching any active cases. We have one out on maternity leave and one recovering from a car accident so we've been doing paperwork and researching cold cases."

"Yeah, that's part of the job I hate. Bardsley is an unusual last name. Where does it originate?"

"It's an English name. It comes from the name of a village lying between Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham, in the County of Lancashire, England. It means "Beornred's clearing" in Old English, Beornred being a given name meaning "warrior counsel". I'm eighth generation American, but my ancestors were from that area."

"Cool man. Are you going to be bringing me back to the precinct tonight?"

"Yep, I'm your chauffeur until we catch Lee. I'm lucky Hetty picked me. There were about 15 of us who volunteered. We all know what you went through and that the bastard who's responsible is still out there. I'll make sure you're safe while I'm around."

Marty was stunned at how protective the man was. It made him feel good and reinforced his feelings of NCIS being a family…a family that protected it's members with ferocity. "Thanks man. I appreciate it."

~,~,~

When he arrived at the Mission, he greeted Kensi with a kiss on the cheek then they joined the rest of the team in the bullpen. Hetty was already there. She smirked as she said "I'm pleased to see you on time for once Mr. Deeks. Maybe we should have you report to LAPD every morning."

"Yeah, no that's okay Hetty. I'll be on time from now on." He and Kensi slid into their seats.

"See that you do Mr. Deeks."

When she had everyone's attention, Hetty began issuing instructions.

"Mr. Callen, I'm standing your team down until all of you have passed the required psych evals. Even though Mr. Deeks was the one who was tortured, we have all been affected by it. The director feels, and I agree with him, that all of us, including Mr. Granger, Miss Jones, Mr. Beale and myself are to see Nate for one or more sessions to come to terms with everything that's happened. If Nate can't make himself available, he has recommended another therapist to work with us. He'll let us know within 48 hours if he will be available. I know Mr. Deeks has been talking to him by phone, but the director wants us all to have face-to-face visits. Until then, there is plenty of paperwork that needs to be caught up on. Let's get busy." She clasped her hands in front of her as she walked away from the bullpen. Groans were heard all around causing a small smile to appear on her face.

Everyone got busy on their paperwork including Deeks. He was feeling pretty good so decided to sit down and get started on his own. It had piled up greatly while he had been missing and then in the hospital. He was completely immersed in his work and knew he had made significant progress when he felt someone staring at him. He looked up and noticed that several hours had already passed. He also realized that his head was throbbing and the injuries to his ribs and back were making themselves known as well. Kensi was staring at him in silence as he looked at her.

"What? Am I drooling?" he asked.

"No, but you've worked long enough. You should take a break and go lie down."

"I'm good. I'm not tired Kens. I promise I'll take a break when I get tired." He replied and went back to his paperwork. He had picked up the next file and was reading through it when he again felt the back of his neck start crawling. He turned his head to see Hetty standing behind him, staring at him with her hands clasped in front of her as usual.

"What do you think you are doing Mr. Deeks?"

" _Busted! Damn, I'm going to put a bell on her one of these days, I swear. I don't know how she always appears silently, but it's scary as all get out. Creepy mistress of the universe."_ His voice rose to a much higher pitch involuntarily as he tried to answer his tiny boss. "Umm…paperwork? I'm catching up on my overdue reports." By the look on her face, it was the wrong answer. He backpedaled furiously. "Shouldn't I be doing paperwork like everyone else? I'm behind on mine and like I said, some of it's overdue."

"You just got out of the hospital Mr. Deeks." She pointed behind her to the couch. "I think you've worked long enough. It's been several hours now and you are looking rather peaked. Now come, go over to the couch and take a nap."

"But Hetty! I'm not tired."

Hetty looked at him with what Granger called her 'gorgon stare'. "No buts, Mr. Deeks. You heard me. March, young man!"

She smirked slightly as he hung his head in resignation, got up from his chair and shambled over to the couch for the ordered nap. "Well when you put it that way, I guess I can rest for a while. But I'm not tired," he grumbled to himself knowing he wasn't going to win the battle. He sat down as Kensi brought over a blanket Hetty handed to her and tried to cover him with it. He pushed it to the side as he continued arguing.

"Kensi tell her, I can do paperwork. Besides, I'm not tired right now, really. I'll rest when I get tired, I promise." He had an adorable pout on his face as he pleaded with her.

She smiled and brushed his hair back from his face. "Just rest for a while, Deeks. The paperwork isn't going anywhere. It'll still be there after you rest."

"Okay…for you Sugarbear…but I'm _not_ tired." He stretched out admitting to himself that he was wiped out even though he didn't want anyone else to know, especially Kensi. And if he was honest with himself, it would feel good to rest for a while. He didn't want her to worry about him any more. He knew how hard it had been for her to watch him go through everything and then try to remember what had happened to him. She'd been there whenever he woke screaming from another nightmare to soothe him and help him calm down. She'd been his rock through the entire ordeal and even though he knew better, he felt guilty. He watched her continue to work on her pile of paperwork and before he knew it he was asleep.

Kensi glanced over at him a few minutes after he grudgingly lay down and wasn't surprised to find him out like a light. Once again she realized how very young he looked when he was sleeping. He was still so fragile after everything that had happened she worried about him overdoing things and relapsing. They'd even had an argument about his health when he protested her wanting him to take things slowly so she was glad to see him sleeping. As she watched, Hetty came by and placed the blanket he'd pushed away earlier gently over the detective, tucking it around his body. She then reached out and brushed some curls back from his forehead before returning to her office.

As the morning progressed Deeks had a steady stream of visitors coming by while he continued sleeping, giving him a soft glance, or a light pat on the arm or back before continuing with their work. He didn't realize how many people had been worried about him. It would have surprised him to know how much he meant to the people he worked with on a daily basis.

When lunch time rolled around, Kensi volunteered to pick up lunch for everyone. For Marty, she decided to surprise him with his favorite tacos from the food truck he frequented. After giving everyone else their lunch, she gently woke him and handed him the tacos she had brought back for him along with a smoothie.

"Wake up sleepyhead. I have tacos for you." She pushed some curls back from his forehead.

"Did you say tacos?" His eyes were still closed.

"Yes I did. And if you want any, you need to wake up or I'll eat them"

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up on the couch. "I can't believe I fell asleep. How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours. It's lunch time. I brought you your favorite tacos and a smoothie." She set the food and drink on the table in front of the couch and sat down next to him.. "You look better, more rested."

"Thanks Kens. I guess I was more tired than I thought. It's just so frustrating you know? It seems like it's taking forever to get back to my normal energy levels." He took a bite of the first taco and moaned. It tasted so good. "At least I can eat regular food now. Thanks for this. It's fantastic."

"You're welcome. It's good to see you eating. You are still way too skinny. You need fattening up."

"If I keep eating like this, I'll be back to my fighting weight in no time. I can't wait until I can go surfing. I miss the beach."

"You've only been out of the hospital for four days. Give it some time. It won't be long before you're on the water again." She reached over and ran her hand along his arm, then whispered. "And if you're a very good boy and nap like you should, I'll be there watching you in a very tiny red bikini."

His eyes began sparkling and the smile on his face made the corners of them crinkle. "The red one with the gold rings and the strategic cutouts? That red bikini?" When she nodded, his face lit up, "Wow…I can't wait."

~,~,~

The team spent the whole week catching up on paperwork. For a change, no cases came across Hetty's desk that needed the attention of her elite team and she was able to hand them off to one of the other teams. Nate arrived on Wednesday. When he appeared in the bullpen, he quipped. "I see your working on the dreaded paperwork."

"Hey Nate" Callen stood up and shook his hand. "It's good to see you."

"I'm sure you'll change your mind when it's your turn to talk to me." Nate grinned.

"Yeah, about that…Let's get it over with."

"Who are you and what have you done with G Callen? He would never offer to meet with me. Hetty usually has to force him."

"Ha, ha Nate. Real funny. Maybe I'm just trying to be a good team leader."

There were chuckles, laughs and snorts from the other members of the team at that statement. Callen went first but everyone met with him as required, most of them needing two sessions to come to grips with everything that had happened. Marty and Kensi met with him both separately and together which helped them both tremendously. He wrote his report for the director giving the team a clean bill of health and clearing them for the field.

He met with Hetty afterwards and they discussed each team member without delving into details which would violate patient-doctor confidentiality. She was most concerned about the two younger members of the team.

"How is our Mr. Deeks doing Nate?"

"Frankly, he's doing better than I expected. I've met with him the most and as you know he and I have been talking on the phone since his second week in the hospital. We'll be talking more as well, even if it is over the phone. He's most concerned about Kensi and how all of this affected her. I think we were able to make significant progress when the two of them met with me together."

"And Kensi?"

"She's worried about her partner of course. She's being very protective of him, which stands to reason due to their relationship."

"Do you think their personal relationship affects their ability to work as partners?"

"As I've said before, their relationship actually makes them a better team. They have almost a telepathic ability to know what the other will do in any given situation. Of course, as with any relationship, it also makes them worry about each other. I can say the same thing about Sam and Callen though."

"Yes, I suppose you can. What about the rest of the team?"

"Hetty, you've read my report. They're all doing well. I'm not worried about any of them and you shouldn't be either."

"That's good to hear Nate. I wanted to hear it from you in person as well as reading the report."

"You worry about them. I know you do. Did you want another session with me? We can if you want to."

"No, I don't think that's necessary. I won't worry as much once we have Ivan Lee behind bars."

"Amen to that Hetty. I truly believe some people are born evil with something missing. He's one of them. He should be put away where he can never harm another human being as long as he lives." Nate gave Hetty a long look before shaking his head and sighed thinking _"As far as I'm concerned, he should be put in the deepest, darkest hole Hetty can find. He's a manipulative, highly-intelligent, psychopath and a danger to everyone in society. He has no redeeming qualities…no humanity in him whatsoever."_

"That's what I plan to do Nate. I won't stop until that man pays for what he's done." Hetty's face was full of resolve. "I will do whatever has to be done to make sure he pays."

~,~,~

Marty could feel himself getting stronger as the days went on. He went to work and was able to work longer as each day passed. The residual pain in his ribs and torso faded away and his headaches slowly disappeared. He and Kensi would spend evenings in the safe house, watching reality TV or a movie, usually Titanic, and the nights tangled up in each other. His nightmares were coming less frequently and most times, Kensi was able to wake him before they progressed too far.

The only thing he still wasn't allowed to do yet was surf. It galled him to see the water and not be able to be in it over his knees but he knew he wasn't yet strong enough to handle a wipe-out if he had one while surfing. He never mentioned it but Kensi could tell it was weighing on his mind.

"Not too much longer, Marty, and you'll be back on your surfboard." She had her hand on his back rubbing circles over it.

"I know, but I wish…no, I'm not going there. You're right, it won't be too much longer now. And I can't wait to see you in that bikini."

"What bikini? I don't remember a bikini being mentioned."

"Wha…no…you promised! Really! The red bikini with the gold buckles and the cutouts. You promised you'd wear it for me." He was looking at her pleadingly.

"I'm just messing with you. Yes, I'll be in the bikini. Just for you."

"Don't scare me like that. I'm still recovering."

"You doofus!"

Monty spent the days mostly sleeping since he would follow Marty wherever he went in the house. When he and Kensi went to bed, Monty would lay inside the door of the room at the end of the bed and guard his humans. Every hour or so, he would get up and patrol the house, checking all the rooms, windows and doors, before returning to his spot in front of the bedroom door. He wasn't about to let anything happen to his humans if he could help it.

~,~,~

Ivan spent the weeks after Deeks was released from the hospital setting up the house in Century City. The house wasn't as good as the previous places were, but he would make it work. He decided to use the middle bedroom as his 'fun' room. That way, it would be harder for the detective to escape. He replaced all of the tools he had lost; including the whip, the cane and the cattle prod. He took great pains in laying them out on the table in the room just so. He had Harry sink some rings in the walls on each side of the room where he planned on restraining Marty and his girlfriend. He also placed two chairs facing each other in the middle. He wanted them to be able to see everything he did to each of them.

He mixed up some more of his special drug compound and gathered everything else he would need once he had Deeks again. When he was done, he looked over his handiwork with a smile on his face and rubbed his hands together. _"Soon, soon I'll have you again along with your girlfriend. If you think you went through hell before, it's nothing compared to what I'm going to put you through now. You've caused me more trouble than you're worth and I'm going to make you pay for that."_

Once he had everything set up the way he liked it, he began planning how he was going to get to the detective again and anticipating the fun he was going to have with the two of them. He really was looking forward to getting the girlfriend too. He was sure watching what he did to her would destroy Deeks. He rubbed his hands in glee every time he thought about it.

Harry, along with two new men Ivan had recruited had been watching Deeks at his new residence and timing his movements to and from the house since he left the hospital. They had followed him to the precinct where he worked regularly every day and hadn't seen him do anything unusual. As far as they could tell, he was there from the time he arrived until the time he left each day. They never saw the car with him in it that went to and from OPS delivering him there and then back to the precinct.

Lee knew there had to be some high-tech security at the house Deeks was staying at that would make it difficult to get to him at home so also spent time trying to come up with a plan to snatch him. His men reported to him every evening once Marty was home about what they had seen that day.

After weighing the pros and cons of various ideas, he decided the best way to get to the detective again was either when he was on his way to or from work or during one of his outings with the girlfriend. There didn't seem to be anyone following them when they were out. His men had been watching for any kind of trailing cars whenever Deeks was out and about and nothing out of the ordinary was observed.

After watching Deeks for two weeks, Lee issued orders to grab him at the beach along with his girlfriend. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of having the detective in his mercy once again.


	33. Chapter 32:Lee Makes His Move

Okay, the title of this chapter tells you what Lee is doing, but I hope you enjoy everything. Just remember, Deeks and Kensi both have the Overwatch spray on them so the team has their back.

Nope, no, non, nada, nein; I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters! Bugger! My minions are in their closet weeping sadly at the unjustness of it all.

To all of my regular reviewers, I appreciate hearing from each one of you. It means the world to me. I believe I've answered all of you, but it not, I'm sorry and I appreciated your review more than you can know. To my Spanish reviewer: Gracias nuevamente por su opinión. Estoy tan contenta de que hayas disfrutado de esta historia. Aprecio las muchas opiniones que ha proporcionado más de lo que sabes.

To my French reviewer: Merci beaucoup pour tes mots doux. Cela signifie beaucoup pour moi que vous avez été l'un de mes critiques les plus constants.

Nherbie: I've made a few additions since you've reviewed this chapter.

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 32 - Lee Makes His Move

It was an extraordinarily beautiful day in the City of Angels. There was very little smog hiding the brilliant blue sky and the sparkling waves dancing across the ocean. Marty could feel every muscle in his body relaxing. It was the first time he was going to surf since his abduction and he couldn't wait to get into the water and out beyond the breaks. It had taken two weeks after leaving the hospital to get to this point and Marty was going to enjoy every second of it.

Kensi had kept her promise and was wearing the tiny red bikini with the gold buckles. She looked like a dream come true as he gazed at her gorgeous body made even more so by the bikini. They were spending the day at the beach with Monty; having found a perfect spot to spread their blanket. Kensi relaxed with a good book as Monty took his place by her side. She looked at Marty "Go…I know you're itching to get out there. Just be careful, please, for me?"

"I will Kensalina. I'll keep it to some of the smaller waves. Just being here is like a dream come true. He gave her a brilliant smile, then turned, grabbed his board and ran into the surf. He yelled back at her "I'll be back Fern!" sounding just like Arnold in the _Terminator_ movies making her laugh. He promised her he would paddle back in when he began to tire. He duck-dived beneath the incoming waves and then swam out beyond the breaks, climbed on his board; sitting there soaking in the feel of the sun on his skin, the sound of the gulls he was hearing, the waves gently splashing against his board and the smell of the ocean beneath him, rocking him gently.

He was almost back to full strength even though he was still about 10 pounds underweight. The bruises had finally disappeared and his feet were healed though they still ached if he was on them for an extended period of time. He looked toward the beach where he knew Kensi and Monty were sitting. Monty had been super vigilant since the day of his release from the hospital, following him everywhere and sleeping at the in front of the bedroom door at the end of the bed every night when he wasn't on one of his regular patrols throughout the safe house. He would quietly growl and move in front of Marty whenever anyone came to the door until he recognized them.

Both Monty and Kensi appeared to be sleeping and a feeling of contentment spread through his chest. He decided he'd had enough of sitting there and started waiting for a smaller wave to ride. When he felt the right one, he moved with it and jumped on his board. He rode it most of the way to shore then turned around and went back out to wait for another one. Four rides later, he was getting tired. Remembering his promise he caught one final small swell, milking it for all it was worth then letting it carry him onto shore with the ocean waves doing most of the work. Once he reached shore he climbed off his board and carried it over to where they had spread their blanket earlier in the morning.

He planted his board in the sand and stood there with a grin on his face and sparkling eyes; then shook himself like a dog, spraying water over Kensi's recumbent body. She jumped up with a squeal. "Dammit Deeks; That water's cold!"

She flipped her towel at him as he grinned at her then shook his head some more. Monty was jumping around his two favorite people trying to get into the game by grabbing Kensi's towel and tugging on it. Before too long all three of them were out of breath; collapsed on the blanket and either chuckling quietly or panting. Within a few more minutes they were dozing cuddled up together while Monty had his head on his paws keeping a watch over his humans.

Deeks woke up about 15 minutes later and began removing his wetsuit to put on his board shorts. He had pulled it down to his waist not noticing that Kensi was also awake and watching him. She surprised him when she let out a soft wolf whistle. He grinned at her and did a little shimmy as he pushed it down to his ankles. "Like what you see Light of my Life?"

"Mmm umm" she murmured with a slight blush spreading across her cheeks. "You look good enough to eat."

His eyes began twinkling and a knowing leer spread across his face. "Well, you would know, wouldn't you."

She could feel a full-on blush spreading over her face but didn't let that stop her. "Yep, I do know. Just wait until I get you home and I'll demonstrate again so hold that thought."

Marty's eyes grew large as he gulped. "Umm…are you saying you're going to ravish me Kiki? Again?" His lips quirked as he continued. "I like the sound of that, really. You're insatiable woman!"

The two of them looked at each other and in unspoken agreement, they began packing up their things. Monty watched his two favorite people for a while before he noticed three men approaching. He began growling as he moved between Deeks and the oncoming strangers.

~,~,~

It was Monty's quiets growls that alerted Kensi and Deeks to possible danger. They looked each other in the eyes remaining quiet as they assessed their surroundings. Deeks put his wetsuit in his go bag, removing his earwig and carefully inserting it into his ear; tapping it so that he could remain in contact with the team. He was ready for his nightmare to finally be over and was hoping this was the beginning of the end of it. He could see Monty staring off toward the left of the blanket with his hackles raised the entire length of his back. He took a quick look and saw the three men Monty was growling at. They were all husky and wearing light jackets. They looked completely out of place on the beach. He tapped Kensi on the thigh to get ready for what he knew was coming.

The men continued to advance and Monty's growling became louder and more menacing.

The man leading the team was none other than Harry. Deeks remembered him from the night he was abducted and wondered if he was the one who had kicked Monty. The way the dog was growling and staring at Harry, he was pretty sure he had guessed right. The other two men were obviously additional muscle brought in to replace Jimmy. They had the look of hardened criminals and he immediately christened them Thug 1 and Thug 2 to himself. As they continued to advance, Marty stepped in front of Kensi to cover her so she could also slip in her earwig.

He looked at Harry. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, come with us and no one will get hurt." Harry ground out. "My boss wants to see you two."

"Now why would we come with you? Neither one of us knows you. I'm here at the beach with my girlfriend and my dog enjoying the wonderful weather. Besides, you're not my type and I know you're not hers. Plus, I don't give a shit what your boss wants. Get lost. You weren't invited to join us so buzz off."

Harry pulled a gun out of his coat but before anyone could react, Monty leapt through the air and buried his teeth in the tender part of Harry's inner thigh. Harry screamed in pain losing his gun trying to shake Monty off, but the dog would have none of it. He kept a hold of his thigh, growling and shaking his head back and forth using Harry as a chew toy. Blood was running down his leg and Harry collapsed to the ground yelling for one of his men to "…just shoot the damn dog would you!".

Thug 2 reached for his gun to shoot Monty like Harry ordered but before he had it halfway out of his pants, Marty's gun was in his hand and pointed at Thug 2's head. Kensi's gun was pointed at his groin. He spoke in a low deadly tone of voice, "You hurt a hair on my dog's head and she'll emasculate you right before I kill you." The man could tell by the look on their faces the detective meant every word he said.

Meanwhile Thug 1 had pulled his gun pointing it at Kensi's head. "Checkmate dude…come quietly with us now or I'll shoot your pretty little girlfriend here before you can do anything."

Kensi and Deeks shared a glance with Kensi giving an imperceptible nod letting him know they would be right behind him and his captors. Deeks let out a sigh before continuing. "Fine, put the gun away and I'll go with you without any trouble. Leave her out of this or I'll make sure you both die, even if it kills me. She's not going anywhere with you." Turning to her, he said "Kensi, lower your gun. It will be okay."

"Are you sure Deeks?" Kensi was determined to make it look good for Marty's abductors.

"Yeah, Kens. I'm sure, really." He looked deep into her eyes with a slight smile on his face. He knew exactly what she was doing.

Thug 1 and Thug 2 looked at each other then over at Harry. They couldn't decide what to do. On the one hand, the boss wanted both the man and the woman, but they could tell the detective was deadly serious. And the woman also had a gun. Finally making a decision, the two men started toward Harry to get him away from Monty who had quit biting him but was standing over him with his teeth bared. Before they got more than one step in, Deeks spat out. "Leave that asshole where he is. He deserves what he's getting. He kicked my dog the last time we met and he's finding out payback's a bitch. Leave him or I won't go anywhere with you."

"Fine, let's go!"

Marty couldn't believe how calm he felt about the whole situation. He figured it was because he knew Kensi, Sam and Callen were covering his back in the field while the Wonder Twins had everyones' back in ops. He trusted all of them with his life and knew they wouldn't let him down. Just the thought they would be following him closely and that the Overwatch spray should work as planned gave him a sense of confidence that everything would turn out well.

Harry yelled out "Don't leave me here!" but was ignored as Deeks walked away between the two men.

~,~,~

As soon as Deeks and the men were out of sight, Kensi lifted her gun and pointed it at Harry. "Lay down on your stomach with your hands behind your head and cross your ankles or I'll sic Monty on you again you asshole."

Harry looked into her eyes and knew she would do it so complied quickly. As soon as he crossed his ankles she pulled a set of zip ties out of her bag and secured him. Once she had done so, she spoke over coms and informed the team. "They've taken Deeks. Are you tracking him with Overwatch? Tell me it's working."

She almost collapsed in relief when she heard Nell reply "We have him. They're heading toward the freeway. "They've been heading roughly east since they left the beach; toward Century City. Lee must have found another property to use there. Sam and Callen are about half a mile behind them. I'm also keeping LAPD informed of his whereabouts. They'll make sure he's safe Kensi."

"That makes sense since he hasn't been back to the Reseda house since Jimmy was captured. He must have figured out we would find it and moved to another location. Keep looking to see if you can find anything he may have bought or rented there."

Kensi continued, "We captured one of the men. He needs medical attention. Get someone here fast. I want to go after Deeks myself."

Nell, Hetty and Eric shared a look before Nell replied. "Granger is already on his way to your location. What did you do Kensi? Did you shoot him in the groin like you've been threatening to do?"

She huffed out a small laugh as she explained. "Believe me, I wanted to but I didn't get the chance. Monty took him down before he knew what hit him. He did a number on his inner thigh. You should have seen it. He was shaking him like a chew toy and growling the entire time. I have the man zip tied now, but Monty is still standing over him growling and practically daring him to try anything. I think he must be the scumbag who kicked him when Deeks was first taken."

"Way to go Monty!" Nell cheered. Kensi could hear additional cheers in the background so knew everyone in ops had heard what Monty did.

"He's getting a steak once we have Deeks back. He's my hero. Aren't you boy?" Kensi turned to Monty and began petting him. He glanced at her and then back to Harry all the while growling whenever he looked at him.

"The ambulance will be there soon. Once you turn the jerk over to Granger, you can go after Sam and Callen. I've downloaded the coordinates to your phone already." Nell informed her.

"I can see him now." Kensi replied. She watched as Granger made his way over to her then stopped when Monty started growling at him. "Whoa boy. It's me. You did a good job. Good dog."

Monty looked at him then gave a happy little woof; looked back at Harry and growled once more. He then walked over to the man; lifting his leg and peeing on him before turning his back and kicking sand all over him as if to say "That shows you. Good riddance." before trotting over to Kensi and sitting down beside her. Kensi and even Granger were almost on the sand in hysterics at the look on Harry's face and Monty's antics.

"Deeks is going to love this when I tell him. I'll take it from here Kensi.

"Take care of Monty for me?"

"Will do. Go get your partner and give Lee hell for all of us at OSP. It's time he paid for what he did to Deeks."

"I will, promise." Kensi ran to her car and hopped in.

She let Callen and Sam know she was right behind them as she sped out of the parking lot. They were about 2 minutes behind Deeks and his abductors. Even though the Overwatch spray was working like a charm, both men were worried about the detective. A lot could happen in two minutes and neither man wanted anything else to happen to him. He had already been through more than most people would have survived and come out the other side only a little the worse for wear. They knew he was having nightmares, but he was voluntarily talking to Nate on a regular basis this time, unlike after Sidorov. He also wasn't pulling away from his team but was leaning on them as necessary to cope with everything that had happened.

~,~,~

Deeks was in the back seat of the vehicle speeding away from Kensi with a gun pointed at him by Thug 1. The two men had shoved him in the back with Thug 1 beside him. Thug 2 was driving the car.

There was silence in the vehicle until Marty decided to push as many of their buttons as he could. "So, what should I call you two?" he snarked. "I can't keep thinking of you as Thugs 1 and 2 now can I. Do you have names?"

"Shut up. You don't need to know our names." The gun pushed into his side emphasized the point the man was trying to make.

"Oh come on now! Really? If your names aren't Thug 1 and Thug 2, what are they? Tweedledee and Tweedledum?" He was going to enjoy himself as much as possible before facing Ivan Lee again. Besides, if he could keep distracting them, it might give the team enough time to rescue him before he had to face Lee's 'toys' again.

"Shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you!" Thug 1 (or Tweedledee as Deeks was beginning to think of him) growled out. "I've about had it with your smart mouth."

"You're not going to do anything to me because your boss doesn't want you to. If you hurt me, he's going to be pissed and I'm sure you don't want him pissed at you. He wants to kill me himself. Am I right? I'm right aren't I, Tweedledee?" Deeks grinned at him as he continued. "You two are pathetic, you know that right? He doesn't give a shit about either one of you, just like you didn't give a shit about leaving Harry behind. No honor among thieves I guess."

"You'll be singing a different tune once the boss has you in front of him. I'm going to enjoy watching what he does to you." Tweedledum smirked from the front seat.

"Yeah, right. He's even more pathetic than you two losers. The only way he can face me is when I'm tied up and drugged to the gills. He's a fucking coward; always has been and always will be. You do know what he went to prison for don't you?"

The two men looked at each other then Tweedleedee stated. "It doesn't matter what he went to prison for. He's said it's all your fault anyway."

"Wrong answer stupid. He's went to prison because he's a pedophile and a murderer".

"What's that?"

"You mean you don't know? I can't believe it. You're dumber than I thought you were. A pedophile sexually molests children. That's what Lee does."

"I don't believe you. He said you would say anything to save your ass."

"You don't know what he does to little girls? Really?" Deeks was actually curious about how much the two men in the car with him really knew about their so-called boss. "You don't do you? Where the hell have you been hiding…under a rock somewhere? He kidnaps them, rapes and tortures them repeatedly, and then kills them. I guess that's the only way he can get it up and get his rocks off. How pathetic is that? But even that isn't enough for the sick bastard. He then gets his jollies by cutting them up and saving a piece of them as a souvenir."

"You're lying! He wouldn't; he doesn't do that. That's sick…that's…you're lying!" Tweedledee couldn't think of anything else to say.

"No I'm not. Are you not from around here or are you really that dumb? You're either a foreigner or dumb as a rock. When he was caught it was all over the news. Can you read? He's killed over 20 little girls. Girls as young as 5 man! They were innocent children, almost babies! Any one of them could have been your sister or your daughter for all he cares. The reason he hates me is because I'm the cop that busted him. Now I'm not saying I was the only one involved in his capture, but I was the one that found him holding a 6-year-old's heart in his hands just after he had cut it out of her chest." Deeks stopped there because the memories of what he had seen unsettled him and he could feel his emotions beginning to overwhelm him. He quit talking, trying to get his emotions back under his control. He couldn't afford to let them remain so close to the surface if he was going to survive the next couple of hours. He had to shove those feelings and memories down deep and remain sharp for the upcoming confrontation. He didn't care what he had to do to get the evil bastard back behind bars where he belonged. He'd just as soon shoot him as arrest him, but knew he couldn't do that and remain true to himself.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum looked at each other once Deeks quit talking. Both of them were wondering if what he had been saying was the truth. There was a foreboding silence in the car as they contemplated his words. He watched the thoughts playing across the faces of both men as the car continued toward its destination hoping he had gotten through to them at least a little.

~,~,~

Sam and Callen heard the words Deeks spoke and looked at each other in wonder.

"How can he be so upbeat and light-hearted when he's been through so much?" Sam asked. "I mean, look at what he's endured; an abusive childhood, the horrors he's seen as a cop and our liaison, the torture he's been through, more than once; and now he's possibly facing more if we can't back him up. I want this bastard G, I want him bad. I don't want him anywhere near Deeks."

Sam's foot came down on the gas pedal and the car shot forward in a burst of speed.

"Sam, take it easy. Nell's tracking him." Callen tried to reassure him. "We'll make sure he's safe, but you don't want to tip Lee off by getting too close to that car. Hang back a little. As soon as we know where they're taking him, we can get set up and cover his back. I don't want anything to happen to him either."

Sam's foot lightened on the gas pedal slightly and Callen sighed in relief. He didn't want anything to go wrong and being made by the men who had Deeks was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

Kensi interjected over coms. "Nothing's going to happen to him. I'll make sure of that. I'm on overwatch when we get there and if I even think Lee is going to hurt him again, I'll put a bullet in his groin. I'll enjoy it too…very much so! He's got a lot to answer for."

Both men grinned at each other before Callen answered. "Now Kens, take it easy. You know Hetty wants Lee alive so she can 'talk' to him. She'll be angry if you take him out."

"No she won't. Not if it's to stop Lee from hurting Deeks again. She'd tell me to take the shot and you know it!" Kensi was in full partner-protection mode and no one was going to hurt the man she loved if she had anything to say about it. If necessary, she would face the consequences happily if it meant Deeks came out of this without another injury.

All three of them continued to listen closely to what was going on in the car ahead of them and wondered if Deeks had put some doubts in their minds about their boss.

The silence that emanated from Lee's men once Deeks stopped talking seemed heavy and filled with unspoken thoughts.


	34. Chapter 33: Confronting Lee

Only three chapters to go. I just checked and I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters! I only own my own original characters.

To all of my regular reviewers, I appreciate hearing from each one of you. It means the world to me. I can't believe I've received almost 400 reviews. Awesome!

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 33 - Confronting Lee

Meanwhile back at the beach…Granger was getting impatient at how long it was taking the ambulance to arrive. He was tried listening to the whinging from Harry. The man was a wuss! "Where's the damn ambulance?" he questioned the wonder twins. "They should've been here by now."

Nell replied "They said they're two minutes out. You should be able to hear the sirens about…now."

Granger heard the first notes of the sirens as she said "now". _"Those two meerkats are getting scarier every day. I'm glad they're on our side."_ he thought. He waved the paramedics toward where he was standing when they exited their vehicle. Once they arrived, he pulled out his badge identifying himself, then started issuing orders.

"The zip ties stay on. It's his leg you need to look at. He was bitten by a dog he had abused previously. The dog has had all of his shots so there's no worry about rabies. As soon as you patch him up, I'm taking him with me. He has attempted kidnapping of a federal agent and the kidnap/torture of a cop to answer for and we need information from him as soon as possible."

The paramedics nodded at Granger then assessed Harry; bandaging the dog bite in his thigh. After talking it over with the hospital, they received the okay to let Assistant Director take the man. The wound in his leg wasn't as bad as it had looked at first, so they gave him a shot for the pain, administered some antibiotics then turned him over to Granger.

"When you're through questioning him, he should be looked at again by a doctor, sir. Just to be on the safe side."

"Fine, okay." Granger replied "I'll take full responsibility to see that he receives any necessary medical attention when we're done with him."

"Okay sir. He's all yours." The paramedics cleaned up the debris from their treatment of Harry, then left.

"Come on asshole. Someone wants to talk to you." Granger pushed him in front of him toward his car. "Monty, come on boy."

Harry was making a great show of limping, moaning in pain with each step he took, hoping to get some sympathy but was sorely disappointed. Granger ignored his theatrics and Monty growled at him every time he slowed down. He didn't want to get bitten again so he sucked it up and went where he was pushed.

When they reached the car, Granger shoved him into the backseat and buckled him in. He then called Hetty and let her know he was taking Harry to the boat shed and that he had Monty with him.

"I'll be there once Mr. Deeks is back with us. Let him stew for a few hours. They say reflection is good for the soul and his needs all the help it can get."

"I'm on board with that Hetty. It's more than he deserves though. He deserves to rot in a deep, dark hole for the rest of his miserable life."

Granger drove to the boat shed and deposited the wounded man in one of the interrogation rooms. He returned to the main room where Monty was sleeping on the floor and waited for the rest of the team to arrive.

~,~,~

The car with Deeks, Tweedledee and Tweedledum arrived at a nondescript looking house in Century City. It had seen better days; the paint was peeling from the stucco where holes hadn't been patched in it; the front porch was in sad shape; sagging slightly with rickety steps leading up to it. The front lawn; well was should've been a lawn, was dead with weeds taking over. A half-dead fir tree was leaning against the garage wall with what used to be a fence running between the property next door and it.

" _God this place looks forlorn. I wonder if anyone was ever happy in this place. It looks like it's been abandoned for years. I hope the team is right behind me or else things are going to get ugly."_ Deeks wasn't looking forward to what was awaiting him inside.

Tweedledum pulled into the open garage. Once the car was fully inside it, he jumped out and closed the door. Ivan Lee was standing in front of the door leading into the house waiting for them. When he saw Deeks in the back seat, his face lit up with a grin and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

He smirked as he watched his two men pull Deeks from the back of the car. He was looking forward to continuing 'playing' his games with the detective. Maybe even more than before, because the man clearly had recovered from the first series of sessions he'd put him through. It would be like having a brand-new canvas to paint on. He had thought of some new ways of giving Deeks' pain without doing too much damage. He wanted to take a very long time hurting him before he finally killed him.

"Well, well well. Look at you, you loser. What are you looking at? Trying to see if all my injuries have healed you low life piece of trash?" Marty was going to get as many digs in as possible before the psychopath gagged him again. He wasn't going to give the man any satisfaction in seeing him afraid of what he was planning to do to him this time.

Lee's face became mottled with rage as he heard Deeks' snarky remarks. He couldn't believe what he was saying to him. _"God, he's still a smart-ass son-of-a-bitch. Maybe I couldn't break him before, but this time he won't get away from me. I don't plan on giving him a chance. Besides, he's nothing but a lousy cop. Anyone else would have been begging for death the last time but he didn't. Somehow, he managed to hang on and get away and he's just as cocky as ever. This time I'm going to teach him to show me some respect before I kill him if it's the last thing I do. He's going to regret every single insult he's hurled at me and he'll be begging me to to kill him before I'm done with him. I'm going to enjoying wiping that smirk off his face."_

"Hey, I'm talking to you Lee." At Marty's mention of his name, Lee's face showed his surprise. "Yeah, I remember who you are now. You are scum of the earth. You can't get it up unless you've got a defenseless little girl in your clutches, you evil bastard! Your friends here didn't know that about you but I've enlightened them somewhat on the ride over here. That is if they're smarter than I'm beginning to think they are. What are their names anyway? I've been calling them Tweedledee and Tweedledum because they won't tell me." He had a shit-eating grin on his face as he taunted Lee and his two goons. The two men with Lee had looks of trepidation on their faces at the comments Marty was making to Lee. They were afraid of Lee and didn't understand how the man in front of them could say the things he was saying. He didn't seem to be afraid of their boss which confused them completely. Marty watched their faces and figured they had seen some of Lee's handiwork up close and personal and didn't want to antagonize him.

The larger of the two men spoke up. "I'm Al and this is Dawg. Quit calling us Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

Lee looked at Al and told him "Shut the hell up or I'll shut you up. He doesn't need to know your names." He then turned his attention back to Marty. "You think you're such a hard-ass, but you're going to be begging for death before too long. You know it and I know it too."

Based on the look on Lee's face, Marty was sure that the two men were terrified of Lee. He couldn't understand it since both men were quite large; larger than Lee was anyway. He was surprised to actually feel somewhat sorry for the them. _"I can't believe I feel sorry for you two; but you might want to move out of the frag-pattern when Lee loses it. He's going to be in a rage before I'm done with him and there's no telling what he might do. I'm going to push every one of his buttons until he loses it. He hates it when I swear at him and call him names, so I'm going to be doing a lot of it. Besides, all I have to do is keep him talking for a few more minutes, then my team will be here."_ He turned his head away from the two men back to Lee while thoughts still ran through his brain. _"You aren't going to know what hit you you shit, because everyone involved in this mess is out for your blood. You don't mess with one of us without the rest of us coming after you like the hounds of hell. And wait until you meet our boss. You're going to regret the day you were born. She's waiting for you…my team may be like the hounds of hell, but she's our leader; she's coming for you and hell's coming right behind her."_ He was looking forward to watching Hetty interrogate Lee. If he had his way, he'd be sitting with Kens and a huge bowl of popcorn enjoying the show.

"What's wrong Lee. Didn't you want me to enlighten your goons? Too bad. They have a right to know what a pathetic human being they work for." He put a shit-eating grin on his face as he continued. "Raped and killed any little girls since you escaped? Or have you been too busy trying to make my life a living hell?"

Lee back-handed Marty splitting his lip, but he was able to remain on his feet. He sucked some of the blood from his lip into his mouth and spat it back in Lee's face then laughed at him. "That all you have big guy? Pathetic man, just pathetic. My girlfriend hits harder than you on a bad day. A child hits harder than you!"

"You aren't going to be so cocky in a little while. You're going to pay for everything you've said to me." Turning to his men, he told them to grab Marty and move him into the house. They shoved him before them, ending up in a bedroom two doors down the hallway from the garage. No one said anything as they moved into the room from the garage and the continuing silence worried everyone listening in.

"Deeks, say something" Callen spoke up over coms. "We're less than two minutes out. Come on, let us know where he's taking you. And maybe you should tone down the insults and smart-ass remarks just a little bit. We don't want him losing it and going all ape-shit on you before we get there."

"Wow…isn't this nice. Seriously, this is a nice setup you've got going here. I can see you've spent a lot of time getting everything ready for our little tête-à-tête. You have all your toys here as well, all lined up in pretty little rows along with the drugs and needles. But isn't this bedroom a little small for what you have planned for me? I mean I don't see any chains hanging from the ceiling in here though you do have some rings in the walls. The last place you held me in was much bigger than this. Hell, the bedroom we passed on our way in is bigger than this one and would give you more room to work with so I'm wondering why you didn't choose it."

"I don't want you too close to the way out, you little shit. That's why. You got away from me once, but you won't be doing that again." Lee spat. "This room is big enough for what I'm planning on doing to you. I wanted your girlfriend too. I had such plans for the two of you, but before I'm done, she may be here yet. You're going to be in here for the rest of your life. I'm going to enjoy breaking you, little by little. And this time, I'll be successful." Lee turned to his men "Tie him to one of the chairs in the middle of the room while I get things ready."

Marty's stomach was in knots seeing the drugs, the cane and the other tools that had been used on him previously but he concentrated on showing no emotion. He wasn't going to give the Lee the satisfaction of seeing his fear. "Aren't you afraid someone will walk by and see me, maybe hear what's going on in here with the window looking out on the street? I mean it looks like there's only about 40 feet from here to the sidewalk and there aren't any curtains on the window. Anyone could see in here from out there."

"Great thinking Deeks. We've got your location from overwatch and now we know there's a window facing the street in the room he's holding you in. Hang in there buddy, we're setting up now. Kensi's getting into position as we speak. She has her sniper rifle with her. I'd hate to be Lee if she gets a bead on him because if he tries anything, she's already said she'll shoot him in his junk. We tried to tell her Hetty might be angry but she didn't care. She's in full partner-protection mode right now. She kind of looks like a mama tiger protecting her cub. That's you by the way." Callen's voice was full of mischief and Marty felt himself relaxing slightly knowing the team was already there and getting into place.

"The few people that still live in this neighborhood keep to themselves. That's why I chose it. Don't think someone is going to come and save you this time or that you're going to be able to escape. That's not going to happen. You might as well forget it. I've made sure of it." Lee was grinning as he spoke to Deeks. "You're mine, all mine now Marty and I can do whatever I want to you and no one will ever know."

"Bzzzt! Wrong answer, asshole! Do you want to try again?" Marty gave him a snarky grin as he imitated a buzzer.

Lee backhanded him several more times in fury screaming "What have I told you about showing me respect?" Each blow rocked Deeks back in the chair but did little damage.

Marty looked at him once he quit hitting him with the grin still on his face. "Respect?" He spit out a mouthful of blood from the cuts made by his teeth on the inside of his cheeks. "You don't deserve my respect. Hell, you don't deserve anything but loathing from me. You're scum. You're nothing but a coward and a pedophile; you're a serial killer who's about to go down my man. You're already defeated; you just don't know it yet."

~,~,~

He had no sooner got the words out of his mouth when they heard a bullhorn announce "NCIS and LAPD. Ivan Lee, we know you're in there. We have you surrounded. Come out with your hands on your head before this gets ugly."

Lee and his men looked at each other in confusion before understanding dawned. Lee snarled and looked toward Deeks as his two men deserted him; backing away from him, laying down their weapons and putting their hands on their heads. After what Deeks had told them, neither one of them was willing to die for Lee.

"What the hell are you two doing? Get over to the window and cover me! Don't let them get in here you morons!"

Al looked at Lee in disgust and shook his head. "Is it true that you rape and murder little girls? You said it was all lies that this guy made up to put you in prison. Was it? Or do you really hurt and kill little girls?"

Lee was seething. "I told you everything you need to know. What I do is none of your business. You're here to protect me and follow my orders. That's what I hired you for so do your job!"

Al shook his head again, finally realizing that everything Deeks had said was true. "No, I won't. I never would have signed on with you if I had known you molest children. I have a daughter of my own and now I find out that you rape and murder little girls? You're sick man, sick and not worth dying for. I'd rather put a bullet in you myself. I'm not going down for killing a cop for the likes of you." Dawg nodded his head in agreement as both men backed up to the wall farthest away from Lee.

Turning to Marty, Lee screamed. "What did you tell them, you little bastard? What? You're not getting out of this, no way. If I go down, I'm taking you down first." He was seeing red and when he saw the grin still on Marty's face, he felt he had had enough. He pulled a gun from the back of his pants and pointed it at the detective. "You're wired aren't you? Well, aren't you?"

"No I'm not wired. Where would I be hiding a wire. Your guys grabbed me from the beach. My team followed your men."

Lee was coming close to losing it altogether at this point. "If I don't get to play with you some more, you're no good to me. You might as well be dead…in fact I'm going to make sure you're dead. They'll never get in here in time to save your sorry ass. And if they try to take me out, I'll kill you right now." He strode closer and grabbed Marty around the neck, putting the gun to his head as he heard someone coming down the hallway.

Callen, Sam and the LAPD team including Bates, stopped at the door to the bedroom when they saw Lee with a gun to Deeks' head. Lee looked up at them with a sneer on his face.

"Get back or I'll shoot this fucker! He's mine; you hear me! He's mine and I'm not giving him up to the likes of you."

Callen put his hands in front of him in a calming gesture. "Everyone just calm down. You're surrounded Lee. There's no way out for you. You don't want to do this. If you shoot him, you die as well."

"It'll be worth it to put him out of my misery. It's all his fault I went to prison in the first place. His fault!" Lee had spittle coming out of his mouth by this time.

"Just calm down. Why don't me tell us your side of the story. We're willing to listen to your side." Callen tried to defuse the situation while waiting for Kensi to let him know she was in position.

He heaved a sigh of relief when Kensi spoke over coms. "I'm in position. Should I take the shot? I have a clear view of Lee and the gun trained on Deeks. I'm not letting him hurt him again Callen."

Lee looked at Callen quizzically "my side of the story? You don't want to hear my side of the story." He continued looking at Callen and lost it completely when he finally realized the man in front of him was stalling for some reason. He looked around trying to think of a way out. He finally realized he was trapped in that room with no where to go. He hissed at Deeks "This is all your fault Marty and you're going to pay…right now." He began exerting pressure on the gun's trigger.

"Oh, hell no! No!" Sam yelled as he rushed forward trying to get to him before he pulled the trigger even though he knew he wasn't going to be in time.

"You have a go Kensi" came from Callen.

Lee smiled, telling Deeks. "I'll see you in hell." Before he could complete pulling the trigger to end Marty's life, two shots rang out. The first shot caused blood to blossom on Lee's shoulder and the second shot hit his lower abdomen. The two shots caused him to jerk, ruining his aim as the gun went off; the bullet missing Deeks' head by less than an inch. Marty swore later he actually felt the bullet wiz by. A couple of inches lower and Kensi would have turned Lee into a eunuch. He screamed in pain as he collapsed and lost the gun; instead clutching himself and begging for help.

"That's my girl! Nice shooting." Wonder Woman!" Deeks laughed. "I guess someone should probably get an ambulance in here before this scum bleeds out on us."

"That's the only reason I didn't blow his cock off! I didn't want him to die. That would be too easy on him" Kensi called out over coms.

Deeks looked at Sam before continuing. "Come on, get me the hell out of this chair." Now that the end was near, Marty began shaking as memories of Sidorov torturing him as he was tied to a chair roared back into his mind. Sam moved to help him, recognizing the signs of a flashback beginning.

"Breathe Deeks. You're fine now. It's over."

"Yeah, it is isn't it. I'm never been so glad to see you guys before. Thanks for having my back."

Kensi was still yelling. "Are you all right Marty? Tell me you're okay."

"I'm fine…I mean good Kensalina; nothing a kiss from my awesome partner won't cure." He felt lighter than air as Sam untied him; knowing that his long ordeal was almost over. He'd faced Lee and the fears that still haunted his nightmares and came out on the other side with nothing other than a split lip, some buts inside his mouth and some bruises. He counted it as a win for the good guys. He swayed slightly as he rose from the chair but Sam's hand on his shoulder grounded him. He looked at Sam in gratitude. "Thanks Sam."

"You did good Deeks. I'm proud of you."

~,~,~

"Wait until I get hold of you Marty Deeks. What were you thinking, baiting him like that? He could've killed you before I had the time to get into position." She was mad at him and deliriously happy at the same time. All the time she'd been yelling at him over coms, she'd been racing for the house from the overwatch position. She burst into the bedroom; ran up to him; punched him in the shoulder, hard; then wrapped him up in her arms. "Don't ever worry me like that again!"

"Ow! Really?! What was that for? That hurt Kens." Marty said with a grin on his face and sparkling eyes. "I'm banged up enough as it is. That's going to leave a bruise, I know it." He pulled her to him and kissed her hard then and there. He didn't care if it hurt his split lip, he needed the kiss. It was an awesome kiss and he didn't care if it was in front of everyone. Quiet chuckles were heard from most of the people in the room.

"Only Deeks." Sam stage-whispered. "Only Deeks."

One of the LAPD cops put Lee in the chair Deeks had vacated and put a makeshift bandage over the wounds in his abdomen and shoulder while Lt. Bates read him his rights. Marty listened until Bates was done, then walked up to Lee, pulled him out of the chair, then punched him several times in the gut and once in the face. "How does it feel being on the receiving end of the punches numb nuts?"

"He assaulted me! You all saw him. He's not allowed to do that. I'm pressing charges for police brutality." He looked at Deeks smiling, "I'll have your badge before I'm done." He then looked around at each person standing in the room expecting them to admit seeing Deeks hit him. He was in for a very sad surprise.

Callen spoke up first. "I didn't see a thing." Looking around he asked the room in general. "Did any of you see Deeks assault Lee? Every man in that room looked at Lee, smiled and then said "No."

Callen helped Lee out of the chair and cuffed his hands behind his back. "Someone wants to talk to you."

Once Lee was standing Kensi walked over to him and stood in front of him; staring at him as if he was some kind of ugly bug. "I should kill you for what you did to Marty. I could do it too and no one would say anything about it, but I'm a better human being than you are. You're scum of the earth and you deserve everything that's coming to you. I hope you rot in hell." Then before anyone could react, she kicked him right between the legs as hard as she could. As she came in contact with his balls, she flexed her knee giving her kick that little extra power. He collapsed to the floor once again; curling into a fetal position to try to cope with the agony. She had kicked him so hard he was afraid she'd ruptured something.

Looking down at the man at her feet she shrugged and with a wide grin on her face continued. "I never said I was a saint, just that I'm better than you. Consider that a little taste of what you'll get when you're back in prison. I'm going to make sure that everyone wherever you get sent knows just what you did to all those little girls. Once I'm through with the show and tell, you'll be lucky if you survive a week. I'd be careful in the showers if I were you. Child molesters are the lowest of the low. Have fun for the rest of your miserable life."

She turned around and saw three huge grins on the faces of Callen, Sam and Deeks. "What? He deserved it. You know he did."

Deeks looked at his girlfriend chuckling. "I think his balls just landed on Catalina Island, Kens. Nice shot."

~,~,~

Lee was treated at the hospital and then released into NCIS custody. The wound in his lower abdomen turned out to be a through-and-through missing all major organs while the wound in his shoulder had broken his clavicle, but did no other damage. They did give him an icepack for his groin after determining that no permanent damage had been done. As soon as the discharge papers were ready, Callen and Sam marched him out to Sam's car; putting him in the backseat, all without a single word being uttered.

Lee tried hard but couldn't get a read on the two men in front of him and didn't understand what was happening. They weren't the police. He knew that much, but he didn't know they were federal agents and was wondering where they were taking him. "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the precinct."

"I told you, someone wants to talk to you." Callen had a smirk on his face as he finally responded to the man. "She wants some information from you."

"I want a lawyer. I'm not saying anything without a lawyer. I know my rights."

"Oh you are so deluded my man. Don't you know you have no rights. I thought you were smarter than that. You lost those rights when you kidnapped and assaulted a federal agent. A federal agent that happens to be family. You're considered a terrorist. Ever hear of the Patriot Act?" Callen was no longer smiling and a feeling of impending doom settled over Lee's shoulders.

~,~,~

That was the last thing said during the drive to the boat shed. Every so often, Callen and Sam would glance at each other with a look of satisfaction on their faces. Both of them were looking forward to watching Hetty interrogate Lee. It was going to be epic.

She wasn't there yet when they reached the boat shed but there were two additional NCIS agents waiting in the front room. Sam and Callen nodded to the two men and marched Lee into interrogation room 1, made sure his handcuffs were still tight, handed him a bottle of water and then left him there alone; all without saying another word to him.

They retreated to the main room asking one of the agents, Henry Longworth, to stand guard outside the interrogation room door and the other, Will Gleason, to keep watch outside in the parking lot. Callen had no sooner turned the plasma on to watch Lee when Hetty arrived and startled both men, appearing behind them silently as usual. The first indication they had she was there was when she cleared her throat "Anything interesting happening gentlemen." She smirked as both men jumped about an inch into the air before turning around to face her.

"How do you always do that Hetty? Sam asked. He could feel his heart pounding and knew his heart rate was elevated. "I swear I'm going to put a bug on you one of these days. You almost scared me to death; again."

"I have my ways Mr. Hanna. I have my ways. And I'd like to see you _try_ to put a bug on me." She gave Sam a fake glare before turning to Callen. "Has he said anything yet?" she asked pointing at the plasma.

"Not since he tried to say he knew his rights and wanted a lawyer." Callen replied. "I've got Henry keeping guard outside the room.

"I don't think he'll be asking for a lawyer when I'm done with him. Oh by the way, Granger put Harry in interrogation room 2." Hetty turned and proceeded toward room 1 nodding to Henry as she passed him. Callen and Sam sat down in front of the plasma to watch the show.

She opened the door and walked into the room, closing it softly behind her as Deeks and Kensi came running into the front room. "Has she started yet? I don't want to miss a minute of this…I brought popcorn. You two want some?"

"Popcorn Deeks? Why on earth did you bring popcorn to the boat shed?" Callen asked.

"Because there's going to be a show and I'm going to enjoy it?" He gave Callen a look of bewilderment at the question. Sometimes he thought Callen was rather dense. "Come on! You know Hetty is going to chew him up and spit him out. It's going to be quite a show and what goes better with a show than popcorn?"

Kensi jumped in. "Don't try to understand it Callen. It's Deeks, remember?"

"You wound me Kiki. You're supposed to take my side. We're partners aren't we?" Deeks put a pout on his face and gave Kensi his most pathetic look.

She laughed then kissed his cheek, "I'm always on your side, you doofus." She reached over and took his hand in hers, smiling the entire time. He might be a doofus, but he was her doofus.


	35. Chapter 34: Lee's Interrogation

Two more chapters to go. A huge shout-out to nherbie for her help with this chapter. It's been driving me crazy and her input has made it so much better than I could have hoped for. Thanks!

I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a while I only own my own original characters.

To all of my regular reviewers, I appreciate hearing from each one of you. It means the world to me. I'm sorry this chapter is so late, but I've been fighting a cold all week so I'm a bit behind.

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 34 - Lee's Interrogation

Ivan was getting tired of cooling his heels in the boatshed interrogation room; tired of trying to figure out why he was in this building on the water instead of in a police station; tired of being handcuffed. He wondered if the two men who had brought him here were telling the truth about the Patriot Act. He decided not to worry about it since he felt he could handle anything they threw at him. After all, they were just glorified cops of some kind. They couldn't be as smart as he was and he was going to have some fun pushing their buttons. After all, cops were only a little better than garbage men in his opinion, not really getting the irony that HE was the garbage they took out. He just wished they'd get on with the interrogation since he was getting impatient the longer he sat there and uncomfortable since his legs had been shackled to the chair and he was still handcuffed.

He was contemplating yelling at the camera he spotted the moment he was left in the room when the door opened. He looked over at it and was surprised when he saw an impeccably dressed woman enter the room and cross over to the chair on the other side of the table from him without saying a word and then proceeded to make herself more comfortable. She was _not_ who he expected. _"Who the hell is this midget? Where are the two guys who brought me here? This has got to be a joke of some kind."_ The woman in front of him couldn't have been more than 4 ft 10 inches tall, if that, with brown hair in a bob and huge glasses on her face. He thought she looked like someones maiden aunt. She sat down across from him, looked him over from head to toe without saying a word; then got comfortable. She placed a file folder on the table in front of her, fussily arranged her scarf just so and then placed her hands on the table before staring at him again in silence. She still hadn't uttered a word.

She continued to stare at him with no expression on her face, barely blinking, for long minutes. He stared back with a sneer of contempt on his lips, something that didn't seem to faze her in the least. When he finally began to fidget under that stare, the feral smile that ghosted across her face made him shiver. The smile got wider when she saw this but, still she said nothing as he broke eye contact, looking anywhere but at her.

After what felt like hours, she finally looked down at the folder on the table, pulled it closer to her and gently opened it. She spent an additional few minutes, she finally broke her silence. "Let's see what you've been up to Mr. Lee, shall we?" The look on her face belied the congeniality of her tone of voice. Hetty stared at him for a few more minutes then, her face once again expressionless, she continued looking over the file. As she turned the pages, she would occasionally look at him and shake her head before turning the page and continuing her silent perusal.

Unable to stand the silence anymore, Lee snarled. "Who the hell are you? I want to see my lawyer. I have rights and I'm exercising them. I have nothing to say to you."

Hetty looked up at him, then slowly removed her letter opener from her pocket without once breaking eye contact and started playing with it as she watched him like he was some kind of insect she was casually inspecting, debating on whether or not to stomp on it. He clamped his lips shut and threw her a defiant look. She merely shrugged then looked back down at the folder and continued looking through his file, looking over at him every few minutes as before, the blank look that was starting to unnerve him, back on her face. The longer she sat there playing with her letter opener and reading, the more nervous he became. Try as he might, he couldn't figure her out or read anything from her facial expressions. He wondered what was in the file in front of her.

~,~,~

When she finished perusing the file, she closed it softly. "So Mr. Lee, what are we going to do with you, hmmm? You've been a very naughty boy." Hetty then speared him with what Granger always called her 'gorgon stare' as she waited to see how he would react. She knew the value of silence and waited for Lee to say something.

Lee felt the silence becoming oppressive. He started to twitch slightly. He finally blurted out, "I…I want my lawyer, now! Like I said, I have nothing to say to any of you."

"You're very much mistaken Mr. Lee. You have a lot to say to me and I'm waiting. I'm rather disappointed in you though. I thought you were smarter than you seem to be. I'm sure my team told you under the Patriot Act you have no rights, therefore you have no need of a lawyer so why do you keep asking for one? Do you need me to spell it out for you?" She looked at him quizzically.

Lee was getting more frustrated by the minute. "Listen bitch, I've done nothing, _nothing_ that violates the Patriot Act. You're trying to scare me. It's not going to work. I know my rights. I want my lawyer." He went to fold his arms across his chest but with them handcuffed he wasn't able to do so.

"You're are sadly mistaken Mr. Lee. You _have_ violated the Patriot Act. You did so when you abducted and tortured a _federal agent_ ; then again when your employees assaulted and tried to grab that same agent from the hospital a second time along with another agent. You then sent your employees a third time who threatened an agent and successfully kidnapped Mr. Deeks and brought him to you. Then you tried to kill him in front of two other agents as well as members of LAPD. Let's see, I believe that adds up to one count of unlawful escape from prison and flight from authorities, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of attempted kidnapping, and numerous counts of committing acts dangerous to human life in violation of both U.S. and the state of California criminal laws. As such, your assets can be seized without a hearing and without you ever being convicted of a crime. Any way you look at it, you're mine. I can do anything I want with you including sending you to Gitmo. Another option I have is to send you to a super-Max prison where you will be lucky to see the outside of an 8x8 cell for an hour a day. At least there, you won't have to worry about the other prisoners showing you how they feel about child molesters. You hurt my agents and messed with my family. No one does that and gets away with it. You're going somewhere of my choosing and wherever I send you, hell will be waiting for you. I promise you that." Her even tone of voice jarred with the words she was saying and unsettled him further.

Hetty waited patiently as Lee squirmed in his chair. She could tell he was thinking about everything she told him and becoming more worried with very minute that passed. He kept glancing at the letter opener she continued to play with. It was a wicked looking instrument and he wondered why she had it with her. Several times he opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. After the silence became unbearable he finally spoke up. "I want a deal. I know things but I expect to get something for them."

"No, _no_ deals Mr. Lee. You have _nothing_ I want or need."

"You think so do you? What about information on some missing children? Is that worth anything to you?"

Hetty gave him a look that had him quaking in his boots. "Maybe. That would solely depend on what the information is Mr. Lee. Give me the details and I'll decide whether or not it is worth anything to me."

After waiting for a few minutes without Lee saying anything else, Hetty stood up. "Very well, I'll let you know where you will be spending the rest of your life after we've detailed all of the charges we have against you." She was walking to the door when Lee spoke up.

"Wait! wait. Don't go."

"Yes, Mr. Lee? Have you changed your mind then?"

"Maybe. But I want to speak to Marty. I'll talk to him and only him."

"Very well. I'll see if he wants to speak to you." Hetty glanced back at him again before leaving the room and quietly closing the door.

~,~,~

All three agents along with Granger looked up when she appeared in the main room. She looked at Deeks sitting on the couch petting Monty and sighed. "Do you want to talk to him Mr. Deeks? You don't have to you know. We have all the evidence we need to make sure he is sent to a super-Max prison for the remainder of his life. And I don't think he has any information that is worth a deal. I wanted to wring his neck. What a piece of work he is." The strain of having kept a calm demeanor while in the same room as Lee, when all she'd wanted to do was to drive her letter opener into him as hard and as often as she could, was now evident on her face and in her voice.

"I don't think this is a good idea Deeks." Kensi didn't want him anywhere near Lee. Sam and Callen agreed with her but didn't say anything. It was up to Deeks and they didn't want to influence him in any way. Whatever he decided, they would back him up.

Marty was unsure of what he should do. He appreciated the time everyone seemed to be giving him to make up his mind. After several minutes he spoke up. "I'll talk to him. There were some other missing children we never found. If they're who he's talking about, I'd like to get the information so the families can have some kind of closure. It's the least I can do."

He slowing pulled his gun out of the back of his jeans and held it out to Kensi. "Hold my gun for me would you Kens? I don't want to be tempted to blow him away."

"I'll keep it safe until I can give it back to you." She reached up and brushed his hair back from his face.

Deeks looked at Kensi with troubled eyes and received a slight head nod before turning and entering the interrogation room. The look between them meant that he was good if she was and that she had his back…like always.

Lee looked up as the door to the interrogation room opened a few minutes later. He smirked when he saw Deeks enter the room, refusing to admit to himself that he felt relief it wasn't the tiny woman coming back to stare at him. Feeling his courage and absolute faith in himself return, he thought. _"Finally! I'm going to have fun messing with his head. He's mine and I'm going to make sure he knows it. He's never going to be able to forget what I did to him. And I'll get another chance at him somehow. I'll have my revenge sooner or later. I swear it."_ He watched in silence as the detective leaned against the door to the room. It was he that finally broke the silence. "Well, well, well. We meet again. You're mine you know. You'll always be mine. I've marked you and those marks will never fade away. You're never getting away from me. You're already dead Marty. You just don't know it yet. Do you remember how much fun we had before with the cane and the cattle prod? Not to mention the drugs. You really liked the drugs, I could tell."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard this all before. How you're such a badass and I'm the weakling that you put through hell. Blah, blah, blah. But guess what? I've recovered and once you're put away, I'm never going to think of you again. I'm still here; you lost everything and will be in a deep, dark hole for the remainder of your life while I can leave at any time; do anything I want to. You can't say the same thing. I thought you wanted a deal and would only talk to me. So talk. I don't have all day." Marty didn't say another word as he crossed over to the 'good' side of the table and sat down, adopting a bored expression that made Hetty, watching with the others from the outer room, proud of him.

"I have information. Information I'm sure you want. What's it worth to you?"

Marty continued staring at Lee as he got comfortable. He ignored what Lee had said and quietly began again. "Like I said, I've been told you'll only talk to me, so talk. Tell me about the children and then we'll decide if it's worth a deal. And no more of your veiled and not so veiled threats. I've heard them all before and I'm still here. You don't scare me. I'm the one who will be enjoying the sun, the sand and my friends while you rot in prison, asshole."

"I told you not to swear at me! It doesn't become you and I don't like it. Don't be that way Marty. Don't you want to know what I know?" Lee sat there smirking, still thinking he had everything under control.

Deeks yawned widely and then sighed. "You have two minutes to begin talking. Otherwise I'm walking out of this room and when I do, I'm never thinking about you again." He entered two minutes into his watch and placed it on the table between the two of them. "One minute, fifty-nine seconds…one minute, fifty-eight…fifty-seven…"

"Come on Marty, don't be a hard ass. I won't be in prison long…if at all. And when I get the chance, I'll be coming after you again. But this time, I'll make sure I get your girlfriend too. It will be so much fun watching you as I hurt the her. I know a lot of creative ways to do so too, including the obvious ones for a girl like her. You'll be begging me to kill you before I'm done with her. You're the one who is to blame for all of this, after all. The dead little girls and everything. Why won't you just admit it?"

Marty stood up when the timer went off. "You're never getting close to Kensi. I'll send you to hell first. Time's up. We're done here. I'm not going to listen to your same tired old ravings. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life." Lee watched him as he headed to the door and started to open it.

"We're not done Marty!" he yelled. "Not by a long shot. You're mine! and I'll have you one way or the other, you hear me. I'll have you and her as well. I promise you that!"

~,~,~

Marty returned to the main room of the boat shed and saw everyone watching the monitor. Lee was still yelling about how he was going to kill Marty and his girlfriend. "He's not going to tell us anything. He's using the possibility of information about the missing children as a way to get to me. He's the same SOB he's always been and still trying to play his mind games. Nothing is ever his fault; it never has been and never will be as far as he is concerned. You know what Hetty? I'm done. Really…I'm done worrying about him and his games. I want to go home and get on with my life. I want everything back to normal. He's screwed with our lives for the last time."

Kensi reached out and took his hand in hers eliciting a small smile from him. She handed him back his gun and he shoved it down the back of his jeans.

"I believe you are correct Mr. Deeks." Hetty was disappointed they wouldn't get anything more from Lee, but she knew it was a lost cause.

She turned and issued orders to Agents Longworth and Gleason to remove Lee from the interrogation room and take him to federal lock-up until the appropriate arrangements could be made for his long-term incarceration. The two men entered the room, unshackled him from the table and pulled him up. Longworth went in front of him and Gleason brought up the rear. They began marching him to the front door.

As he was being escorted past the agents and Hetty, he was still taunting Marty with what he was going to do to him when he got the chance. Marty deliberately turned his back to him and whispered something to Kensi, making her laugh and he joined her. Enraged that they dared to laugh at him, Lee lunged forward, grabbing Longworth's gun while shoving him into the couch and sending him flying. He turned and shot Gleason; all the while yelling, "If I'm going down I'll see you dead first. I told you you're mine!" He then brought the gun up, grinning crazily as he aimed it at Marty. Four shots rang out; one each from Callen, Sam and Kensi with the final shot from Granger. Lee looked like a puppet with its' strings cut as he looked at the bullet holes in his chest and then collapsed soundlessly to the floor, his life's blood pouring out of the wounds.

Longworth was helping Gleason sit down on the couch so he could look at the wound. It was in his arm but didn't appear to have caused any major damage. "Hetty, should I call 911?" He asked hesitantly. While he and Deeks weren't all that close, he was a good guy and they all knew what the man lying bleeding on the floor had done to him. He was pretty sure Gleason wouldn't mind making his own way to the Emergency Room.

"Please do so Agent Longworth. Tell them to send two ambulances." Longworth nodded and pulled out his cell to make the call.

Marty walked over and looked down at the man who'd tortured him and threatened Kensi making made no effort to determine if he was still alive, seemingly dazed by the sudden turn of events. He didn't know what he was feeling; everything was jumbled up and his emotions were all over the place. On the one hand, if he'd had his gun in the interrogation room, he might have blown Lee away, but on the other he knew as an officer of the law, it was unacceptable and besides Lee wasn't worth it. He felt frozen in place as he realized that it was finally over. He would never have to worry about Lee again.

Callen watched the emotions flickering across Deeks' face for several moments and finally moved forward to check for a pulse on Lee. When he found a very weak one, he began administering first aide even though he wanted nothing more than to let the man bleed out. After all, he had caused every one of them so much worry, anger and heartache for what their liaison officer had endured at his hands. "He's got a pulse, but it's weak."

Within minutes the ambulances were parked in front of the boat shed. Two sets of paramedics entered the room with Hetty issuing instructions to them. The two who went over to Lee asked Callen to move as they began their exam. They did everything they could for him, but it wasn't enough. He went into cardiac arrest twice; the first time they were able to restart his heart. The second time, it was unsuccessful even after several uses of the defibrillator. After performing CPU for several long minutes without any success, one of them looked at the defibrillator one final time seeing a flat line. He then checked his pulse and finding none, he looked up at Hetty and shook his head slightly. None of the NCIS agents in the room could find any spark of remorse for the life ended so violently at their hands. Instead, there was a collective sigh of relief from everyone there.

The long nightmare was finally over.

~,~,~

Hetty called Bates and asked him to send a coroner's van to the boat shed. She detailed the events that had occurred resulting in Lee's death. All Bates had to say was "Good. I hope he rots in hell. The van will be there as soon as I can get one dispatched."

The team ignored the body on the floor. Sam had covered it, but nothing else had been done. None of them wanted to be anywhere near it and moved outside where they could feel the sun and hear the ocean waves. They spent the time waiting for the coroner to arrive talking quietly among themselves providing comfort and encouragement to each other in turn.

While they were waiting for the coroner, Granger decided to lighten the atmosphere. "Deeks! Do you want to hear what your dog did to Harry after you were taken away?"

Kensi looked at Granger and then at Marty as she waited to see what he would do when he heard about Monty peeing all over Harry.

"Maybe…is he in trouble?"

"Hell no, he's not in trouble. I may put him in for a medal and he's definitely getting a steak."

"What did he do?"

"You're going to love this. It was right after I arrived and Kensi turned him over to me. Monty wasn't going to let me near Kensi at first until he recognized me. Then he turned around, moved over to Harry…and get this…he lifted his leg and peed all over him. Then he turned his back on him and kicked sand all over him." Granger's face had its usual dead-pan look as he related the story.

"He didn't…did he? Really? I'm getting him a steak for that. He deserves it."

"I promised him the steak. I'll bring it by the safe house this evening." Granger replied.

The coroner's van arrived and Lee's body was removed from the boat shed. Hetty looked around at her team and could tell they were all exhausted. Clasping her hands in front of her body, she stated. "Well, all's well that ends well. Go home and take tomorrow off. Be with your loved ones. We'll have a debrief day after tomorrow and you have until Friday to get the after action reports done. Now shoo, all of you."

No one had to be told twice. There were goodbyes spoken all around and then they went their separate ways. Nell and Callen headed to his house; Sam went home to spend time with his girls and call Aidan while Kensi and Deeks went back to the safe house for one final night.

~,~,~

Nell was asleep when Callen reached home. He parked the car and crossed over to the passenger side before waking her up.

"Come on little spider, let's get you inside."

"Are we here already? I must have been more tired than I realized. I don't even remember you starting the car."

"Do you feel a little rested now?"

"A little…why? Do you have something planned?"

"Why yes I do little spider. Come on, let's get inside. I picked up some take-out. I'm hungry and I hope you are too."

"I could eat something." She smiled at him and held her hand out to him.

Callen pulled her from the car, led her up to the front door, opened it for her and waited while she entered ahead of him. He placed the take-out on the coffee table. "Sit down on the couch and I'll let us some forks. Do you want a beer?"

Nell sank back into the couch with a sigh of relief. It felt good to be able to relax. "That sounds good G. After the last few weeks, we finally have something to celebrate. Deeks is almost back to full-strength. Lee is dead and can't hurt anyone ever again. And I'm here with the man I love. What more could I ask for?"

"Well, I can think of several things I want you to ask for. In fact, I plan on you begging for them before I'm done with you tonight."

Nell shivered in anticipation. "Hold that thought until we finish eating. I think I'm going to need some nourishment before I give you want you're asking for."


	36. Chapter 35: Deeks' New Home

I'm sorry this is late, but I've been sick and my reviewer didn't get a chance to get back to me with suggestions since her work has been keeping her very busy...so all errors are mine.

I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a while I only own my own original characters.

To all of my regular reviewers, I appreciate hearing from each one of you. It means the world to me. I think I answered everyone I could, but if not, know that I appreciate hearing from all of you.

Press that little button and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this latest chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 35 - Deeks' New Home

With Lee dead, Kensi and Deeks would be leaving the safe house the next morning. They both were exhausted by the time they arrived there that evening. Marty had convinced Kensi to stop at Yummy Yummy Heart Attack for take-out on the way, so he didn't have to cook. When they arrived, he got two beers out of the refrigerator while she set out the take-out cartons and sporks on the dining room table, laughing a little as she remembered other times they'd used them.

The doorbell rang as Deeks was opening the beers. "I'll get the door Kens."

Monty was in front of him as he opened the door growling softly. When the dog saw who it was, he quit growling and wagged his tail. "Hey Assistant Director Granger, you want to come in?"

"No, I know you're both exhausted and all I want to do myself is to go home to my bed. I'm here to keep my promise." He pulled out a steak from the bag he was carrying. "Here's Monty's steak. Make sure he gets it and not you two or I will hurt you."

"I would never steal from Monty. Isn't that right boy?" He reached down and patted Monty.

Monty could smell the meat and was sitting at attention. He somehow knew that delicious smell was something for him.

"Thanks. I'm going to give it to him right now. Are you sure you don't want to come in for a beer?"

"Maybe another time. See you back at OSP." With that Granger turned and walked down the driveway to his car.

Kensi called out as he closed the door. "Who was it?"

He replied "Granger dropped by a steak for Monty" as he strode into the kitchen. "I asked him if he wanted a beer, but as you can see, he declined." He pulled out a knife, cut the steak into manageable pieces and placed them in Monty's bowl. "Dig in Monty, you've earned it."

He left Monty happily devouring the steak and walked into the dining room. "What were you laughing at Kens, just before Granger got here?"

"Nothing really. I was just remembering other times we've eaten with sporks. Some good memories there."

"Yeah, there are…good ones…ones with us together." His face reflected the good times they'd had. "Here's your beer Sugarbear." With that they both dug into the food enjoying being together and knowing they didn't have to worry about Lee any longer. Once both of them were satisfied, Marty cleaned up and they proceeded upstairs. They were both tired and looking forward to bed, but before that they were going to make good use of the shower together one last time.

~,~,~

The sun was shining through the windows when Marty woke the next morning. He looked over and chuckled. Kensi was in her starfish position. He carefully got out of bed and went downstairs. He put on a pot of coffee and made breakfast. He was finishing up the frittata when he heard Kensi shuffling down the stairs.

"I smell something good." She was still rubbing sleep from her eyes but looking gorgeous to Marty as always.

"Breakfast is ready, my Ladybird. Your coffee is just the way you like it and I made a frittata. There's also some fresh fruit and scones I picked up."

She took a large drink of the coffee and kissed him on the cheek. "It looks amazing. I'm hungry."

"When aren't you hungry?"

"Shut it."

"Yes dear."

They took their time over breakfast, cleaned up and then packed up their clothes; well, that is he packed while she threw her clothes into the suitcase any which way. He stood back watching the woman he loved and chuckling to himself. When she threw him a dirty look, Marty backed out of the room, packed up Monty's things and took them out to the car. He then went back and carried both his and Kensi's suitcases out while she made sure they hadn't forgotten anything of importance. They took one last look at the safe house and then drove away for the last time.

He was looking forward to seeing the house Nell had found for him. Hetty'd described it to him but seeing the real thing would be even better. He wanted to assure himself that it was closer to the beach than his old apartment as Hetty had told them…not that he doubted her, but his definition of 'closer' might be different than hers.

Kensi programmed the address into her GPS and they were off. It took them some time with all the traffic to arrive at his new place. When they pulled up in front of the address, they both looked at the house, each other and then back at the house. It was a beautiful Craftsman bungalow painted a creamy white with brick work along the front and dark blue trim around the windows. There was what looked like leaded glass in at least one of the rooms upstairs. There was a covered front porch and the front yard was landscaped beautifully.

"Oh my God, it's beautiful." she whispered.

"Yeah, it is. Let's look inside." he replied.

They slid out of the car and met at the beginning of the sidewalk up to the front door. She slipped one hand into his with the other holding Monty's leash. They walked slowly forward; climbed three steps up to the porch, then one step up to the front door. Marty slipped the key into the lock and ushered Kensi into the entrance, stepping in behind her. They looked around the front room with the detective reflecting that Hetty had been downplaying the house just a little. The living room was twice the size of his apartment's and the fireplace was absolutely awesome. His furniture had been arranged throughout the downstairs along with all his books and movies in the built-in bookshelves.

The master bedroom opened off the hallway and had a full bath in it with a half bath across from it. The bedroom was also quite large and Marty's bed had been already set up. They moved through the spacious dining room into the kitchen to find it completely remodeled with top-of-the-line appliances and a breakfast bar that looked out into the back yard. Hetty's description of 'a very nice back yard' was woefully inadequate to describe the large, landscaped yard with a patio off the kitchen sliding glass doors along with a built-in BBQ.

"This is…this is awesome Kens! I can't believe I'm, and I'm hoping you, are going to be living here."

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Do you want to?" He was hoping she would say yes even though he hadn't really asked.

"You know Marty, my lease is coming up for renewal next month." Kensi was nervous as hell; and scared but she forced herself to continue. "So if you're serious…I mean…if you really want to…"

Marty interrupted her by pulling her into his arms "Yes Kens, yes…I was serious. I want this. I want to come home with you every night; go to sleep with you by my side and wake up to you every morning. Please move in with me."

Kensi's face lit up with happiness. "Yes, I'll move in with you."

"Great, really! Let's let Monty check out the back yard." He opened the sliding door while Kensi removed Monty's leash. All three of them went outside. Both of them watched as Monty inspected the entire yard; every nook and cranny before moving to the middle of the yard and rolling over and over in delight. He romped back to them with his tail wagging a mile a minute.

"You like it here, don't you boy." Kensi was rubbing his ears as she spoke. Monty gave a woof in reply and then began running around the yard yipping. They watched him for several minutes in silence.

"You know Kens, now that you're going to be moving in here we'll have to clean out your place. I don't want your hoarding to invade our new home."

"I have to have my stuff Marty! It's important to me."

"Kensi, you have empty pizza boxes, science experiments in your refrigerator and I don't even want to guess what other things are hiding in there amidst all the other clutter." He had a grin on his face. "Ow! What was that for?" He rubbed his shoulder where Kensi had smacked him. "That's going to leave a bruise."

"It's not that bad." She replied. "It isn't." The look on Marty's face showed his disbelief. "Shut it or I might change my mind mister."

"Okay…okay" He mimed zipping his lips and then continued. "Let's look at the upstairs Kens. I'll leave the door open so Monty can come inside when he wants to."

"Sounds like a plan Shaggy."

Upstairs they found another bathroom and two bedrooms as well as a sunporch off one of the bedrooms. "I thought Hetty said there were only two bathrooms. Do you think she didn't count the half bath?"

"I guess not. I'm glad there's another bathroom up here though. And the sunporch is absolutely gorgeous. I think we could be very happy here. What do you think?"

"I'd be happy anywhere with you Kens. Wherever you are is home to me. And Hetty was right. I want this house. What do you think about me buying it? She said the owner would let me rent to buy."

"She did, didn't she. I think it would be great. I mean this place is absolutely perfect."

They looked all over the upstairs together. Kensi then remembered about the security system Hetty said had been installed. "Let's find the security system."

"Eric said it was by the front door, but I didn't notice it once I saw the living room. I mean, wow!"

~,~,~

They checked out the security system and set up the alarm code. They then looked around the downstairs again. In the kitchen they found that the refrigerator and cupboards had been stocked with food. Marty suggested he make something for lunch, but Kensi suggested going out for something to eat since he had made breakfast. "Then we can go back to my place and start packing. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan."

~,~,~

Four hours later both of them were tired but they had made progress in packing up and cleaning Kensi's place. Five large bags had been filled with garbage, old magazines, junk mail and newspapers. The floor of Kensi's living room could actually be seen.

They had packed up her movies and books. There was still a lot to do but they were making progress and had three weeks to finish up. "Let's stop for tonight and go home." Marty took the box she was filling away from her and took her in his arms. "We're both tired and we have time."

"Okay, take me home Marty."

On the drive home, Marty had an idea. "Kens, what do you think about having a party at my…I mean our place. You know, like a house-warming party. We could barbecue in the back yard and ask everyone to bring something to share. You know, like a big potluck for everyone that did so much for us. What do you think?"

"It sounds good…as long as I don't have to do any of the cooking."

"Now why would I want to poison our guests?" He tensed himself for the punch he knew was coming and winced dramatically when she threw it. "Ow, you throw a mean punch."

"You deserved it…I can cook."

"Yeah, but I don't think grilled cheese sandwiches will do it for a barbecue, Fern."

"Shut up! I hate you."

"No you don't, you don't hate me." His eyes were shining and he had a wide smile on his face. "You love me."

"Maybe…sometimes…"

"I love you Kens. You can make me grilled cheese sandwiches tonight if you want to. I love your grilled cheese."

"I love you too. But no grilled cheese for you. I want bulgogi."

"Will you do the bulgogi dance for me?"

"We'll see."

~,~,~

Over the course of the next several weeks, Marty and Kensi made the house their home. Things got put away, given to charity or thrown away and they settled in to enjoy this new phase of their relationship. There were only a few things left of Kensi's to do something with.

Marty made all the arrangements for the barbecue. He first cleared the date with Hetty. It was going to be in two weeks and Hetty thought it was a great idea. She gave the whole team the weekend off. If any cases came in she was going to assign them to another team. After that, he got input from everyone on what they would contribute to the party. Everyone was looking forward to it and there was enough time before the party for he and Kensi to complete packing up her apartment and getting all of her things arranged in the new house.

The day of the party dawned gloriously with a forecast of beautiful weather in the mid 80's. Marty had woken early and was sitting in the sun porch with a hot cup of coffee in his hand. Kensi was still sleeping but he could hear her starting to move around so he went down to the kitchen and made her a cup just the way she liked it. Proceeding into the bedroom, he waved the coffee cup near her nose. "Wakey, wakey, Light of my life. I have your coffee made just the way you like it."

"S-too early. Lemme sleep some more."

"Come on Sugarbear; we have a party to get ready for. How about I get the shower started for you?"

"Only if you'll join me." She now had her eyes open and was smiling up at him.

"That's a great idea…and so conservation minded. Up and at em then. I'll meet you in the shower."

It didn't take Kensi long to join him and with one thing and another, it was some time before they began preparing for the day.

~,~,~

As people arrived that afternoon, they all asked for a tour of the house. Either Marty or Kensi would show them around. When Callen and Nell arrived, Marty swept her into a hug and thanked her for doing the leg working finding him a new place to live. He told her she couldn't have done a better job. "This house is awesome Nell."

"That's my girl you're hugging there. Get your own." Callen smirked.

"He already has his own." came back as Kensi planted a kiss on Marty's cheek. "Go on out to the back yard. Sam and Michelle and the kids are already here."

A short while later, the party was in full swing. The kids were romping with Monty, and Sam had taken over grill duties while Marty made sure everyone had something to drink and somewhere to sit. Angela and Richard were there with one of their grandchildren, along with Lt. Bates. Wat and Hank were there with their significant others and even Ben had dropped by for a little while. The conversations were lively with the normal jokes and banter being passed around the group.

When the meat was ready everyone dug in with enthusiasm. Sounds of appreciation and complements were lavished on the cooks and the dishes that had been brought to share. Nell had even brought a beautiful cake along with ice cream for dessert. Kensi began begging for dessert almost before she finished her meal.

"I'm ready for dessert. Anyone else want some?"

"Kensi, before you dive into the dessert I want to say something." Marty was standing in front of his team and friends. Once they all became quiet and looked toward him he started feeling nervous. He blew out a breath "Yeah. Um, I wanted to tell all of you how thankful I am to have you for my friends and surrogate family. I wouldn't have survived without all of you looking for me, praying for me and being there for me. I…I can't ever repay you for what you've done for me." His voice was a little rough and he could feel tears beginning to form in his eyes. "So anyway, here's a toast to say thanks so much to all of you. You're my heroes."

Hetty replied for everyone. "You're worth it Mr. Deeks. And remember, you rescued yourself. We just helped where we could. Now…who is ready for that ice-cream that is calling to Miss Blye?"

~,~,~

The party lasted long into the night. Before anyone left, everyone pitched in to clean up and put away leftover food so that Marty and Kensi wouldn't have to do it all. Sam and Michelle were the first of the team to leave, but they had to get Kamram to bed and Aiden had to get back to school. The last ones to leave were Hetty and Owen.

After everyone had gone, Kensi and Marty retired to the sunporch on the second floor and relaxed with beers in their hands.

"I think the party was a success don't you?" Kensi was relaxed with her head on Marty's shoulder.

"I do. It was great having everyone here but I'm ready for bed. What about you?"

"I'm ready for anything as long as I have you." They shared a kiss full of promise and went to bed.


	37. Chapter 36: Life Goes On

Here is the last chapter of this story. Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading, following and favoriting this story. It means more to me than you'll ever know. Your reviews are what inspire me to write and try to get better with every story. I think I've replied to all of the reviews for the last chapter but if not, I apologize. I can't believe this story got more than 400 reviews! I'm in awe of all of you who took the time to let me know what you thought.

I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or any of the characters. I just borrowed them for a while and now I'm giving them back...until the next time. I do own my original characters.

Press that little button one last time and leave a review on your way out to let me know what you think of this last chapter.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 36 - Life Goes On

Marty returned to full from modified duty a couple of weeks after the party. Work was going well and his and Kensi's partnership/relationship; their 'thing', got stronger by the day and was apparent to everyone around them. One morning, Marty told Kensi he had to stop in at LAPD and would meet her at work which was a white lie. Instead he hightailed it to the Mission to see Hetty, hoping he would get there before anyone else. On entering the building, he saw Hetty in her usual location; sipping a cup of tea at her desk while doing paperwork. He walked toward her desk but wasn't surprised that she knew he was there.

"I see you're here early Mr. Deeks." Hetty looked up at him. Did you want to speak to me about something or weren't the waves good this morning?

Deeks rubbed his chin then scratched his beard in nervousness as he sat down. "I didn't go surfing…um, I wanted to talk to you before anyone else got in. Hetty…I…that is…do you remember the letter and box I left with you a while back?"

"Yes of course I do."

"Well…I need…I mean I want them back." He was fidgeting in the chair while running his hands through his hair, he was so nervous.

"I see. Do you have anything else to say to me? Does this mean what I think it does? Are you planning to finally move forward with Miss Blye?"

"Well…yeah. If I do though, what does it mean for our partnership? Are you going to separate us again? I don't want anything to change for Kensi. If I have to, I'll go back to LAPD. Kensi was born to be an NCIS agent and I don't want that to change." His knees were bouncing up and down he was so nervous about what Hetty might say.

"You don't have to worry Mr. Deeks. I won't separate you two again. I learned from my mistake the first time. And besides, I've seen how much better the two of you are when you are together as a team. Your strengths and weaknesses complement each other." Hetty smirked as she added "Just keep it professional in the office."

Marty felt all the tension drain out of his body. He grinned at her "Got it Hetty." He turned to leave but stopped then turning to her said "Thanks Hetty."

"You're very welcome Mr. Deeks. But aren't you forgetting something?"

He had a puzzled look on his face. "I don't think so."

"The ring, Mr. Deeks, the ring." Hetty handed the item to him smiling.

Deeks wiped his hair off his forehead with an embarrassed smile. "Oh yeah, the ring."

After getting the ring back from her, he put it in his pocket and went to his desk to begin his day. It had been quiet at work for the past few days so the whole team was catching up on paperwork and he was also completing some training courses Hetty had recommended. He didn't know where to hide the ring; should he leave it in his pocket or put it at the bottom of his messenger bag. He didn't want Kensi finding it until he proposed to her. After much thought, he hid it in the bottom of his bag.

~,~,~

In between paperwork, training, and bantering with the rest of the team, he was busy planning the perfect proposal, at least he hoped Kensi would think it was perfect. He had thought long and hard about what he wanted to say and where he wanted to say it. He'd decided he wanted to propose to her at the beach and knew the perfect spot to do the deed.

It took him two weeks to get everything in place. He first asked Sam and Callen for their blessing. He had been afraid of what they would say but was pleasantly surprised.

"It's about time you asked the woman. What were you waiting for, an engraved invitation?" Sam snarked.

"Just remember, if you hurt her, you will answer to us." Callen stared at him as Deeks gulped then laughed. "Yes, you have our blessing. Doesn't he big guy?"

"Ha, ha you two." came back from him with a withering look. "I knew you would be okay with it but I wanted your blessing since you're like her two older brothers. Besides I have a favor to ask you both."

"What's that?" came from Callen.

"Would you help me set everything up?" He then explained what he wanted to do. Both men were happy to help.

"Thanks guys." He was so glad they were going to help but then he had a horrible thought. "Oh God, she'll say yes, won't she? You do think she'll say yes, right? I mean…what if she says no. I don't know, maybe I should wait?…but I've waited so long and…I don't want to wait any longer…I want it to be perfect…but what if she says no?"

"You're babbling Deeks!" Callen laughed.

"No, I'm…yeah, I guess I am…sorry!"

Sam reassured him "Don't worry about it Deeks. She's going to say yes. And she'll love what you have planned. You know she loves you and what you're planning is so you. We'll be there to capture it for prosperity and we'll have everything ready when you bring her down to the beach tonight."

"Good…good…I'll have her there at 8 pm. Just as the sun is getting ready to set."

~,~,~

That evening, he took Kensi out for a nice dinner at a little Italian restaurant they liked that was close to where he was going to propose. As usual, she enjoyed her food, very vocally. When it was time for dessert, he suggested they go for a walk first and then get ice cream. Her face lit up and she eagerly agreed.

They left the restaurant and began strolling down the beach. Sand was getting in her shoes so he encouraged her to take them off.

"I'll carry then for you Kens."

"Thanks Marty." She wriggled her toes in the sand and gave a contented sigh. "This feels so good. The sand is warm. Where are we going?"

"I've been wanting to show you this secluded part of the beach I found when I was young. I go there sometimes to think about things. Not many people even know about it except for surfers, but since it isn't a good surf spot or near the shops, visitors and surfers don't bother going there. I thought we could watch the sunset together. What do you think?" He was so nervous and afraid she'd say no to his idea that he could feel his hands shaking.

"That sounds nice…real nice. But then after the sun sets, ice cream. Deal?"

"Deal! I know not to get between you and your sugar cravings Kiki." He laughed as she lightly punched him on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Big baby. I didn't hit you that hard."

He made a big show of looking at his arm and teasing her "That's going to bruise, I just know it. You love beating me up, don't you." He wrapped his arm around her waist and bumped hips with her.

"Just keeping you in line. And don't you forget the ice cream or I may hit you again."

"Bully."

"Big baby."

They were both laughing at the absurdity of their conversation by that point.

~,~,~

They continued strolling down the beach just taking in the sounds of the ocean lapping the shore, the gulls flying overhead and enjoying the warm weather and each other. Once they were almost to the rocks that hid the section of beach he was aiming for, all that was left was to go around them and then down a small hill to where, he hoped, Sam and Callen had completed the preparations. The sun was getting lower in the sky, painting it with beautiful reds, yellows and oranges as they rounded the rocks. He turned her slightly and pointed out something on the beach before her.

He heard her gasp as she read the words, "I love you, my Ladybird, today, tomorrow and for eternity" written with small rocks. There were bunches of her favorite flowers at the top of the words. He looked at them and then into her face so thankful he had a team that came through for him.

"Marty, I…I don't know what to say. This is beautiful. You do know I love you too, right?"

"Yes I do. Come on. There's more I want you to see." He took her hand and led her down the hill toward the words. As they got closer, she could see a blanket on the sand spread with what looked like a picnic. There was a cooler and a large shell sitting to one side as well.

"What's this? We've already eaten." Kensi was confused until she realized what the cooler meant. "Is this dessert?" Ice cream?"

He nodded his head "Yes, sweets for my sweet."

"You're so cheesy Marty!" she laughed opening the cooler. Seeing two of her favorite flavors of ice cream, she grabbed two spoons and a carton of Double Double Chocolate Chip. "Come on, let's dig in." She handed a spoon to him.

Marty realized the sun was beginning to set so reached out and took both spoons from her and put them and the ice cream back in the cooler. "I have something I want to say before we have our dessert."

"Can't it wait until after dessert? Pretty please?" Kensi had an adorable pout on her face.

"It can't wait, Kens. This is really important, okay?"

She gave him a quizzical look. "Okay, if it's really important, I guess I can wait. So spill it, mister. What's so important that I have to wait for dessert? I'm hungry and the ice cream is calling my name; I want my dessert before it melts."

His knees were shaking he was so nervous. "Kensi, even though I didn't want to admit it at first, I've loved you since the day you walked into the Blood and Guts Gym. The minute I set eyes on you I knew you were the one I had been waiting for and I was yours from then on. That love has only grown and become stronger through everything we've experienced; all the good and bad that we've seen. I know we've had some issues with communication, but not any more. I can't imagine my life without you; you complete me in every way. You make me a better man, a better cop and a better agent. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He picked up the shell that was sitting on the blanket and held it out to her. "Look inside the shell, there's something in there I want you to have."

Kensi took the shell from him, and saw a ring box. While she was doing that, he slowly sank to one knee. Her eyes became huge and one hand went up to cover her mouth. She dropped both the shell and the ring box she was so surprised. "That's a box…a ring box to be exact." When she saw him down on one knee, she felt her heart start hammering and tears begin to gather in her eyes. _"He's not going to propose, is he? We haven't really talked about marriage. I mean we only moved in together a few weeks ago. What am I going to say?"_ She saw him watching her with fear on his face. His blue eyes were turbulent with emotion and he looked like he was afraid she was going to run.

He felt his heart in his throat as he reached down and picked up the box. "Kensi Marie Blye, I love you with all my heart and soul. You are the part of me that's been missing my whole life. I didn't know what real love was until you came into my life. Will you marry me and make all of my dreams come true?" He was holding the box out with both hands hoping her answer would be yes. If she said no or ran, he didn't know what he was going to do. He figured he'd probably get roaring drunk and then destroy something.

Kensi continued standing there without saying a word. She could see eternity in his eyes but she couldn't seem to make her body obey her. She knew he would always be there for her but would she be good for him? What if she screwed everything up? What if she made him miserable? She was frozen in place, not sure what to do.

He was beginning to get worried. His palms were sweating and his gut was twisting as he asked again "Kensi? Did you hear me? Will you marry me?"

"Oh Marty. You're asking me to marry you aren't you." She gasped.

"Yes. Will you? I'm dying here. Please say yes."

"Are you sure this is what you want? What if I screw everything up?"

"I love you Kensi. If you love me too, we can get through anything. You're not going to screw anything up. We've already proven that. Please Princess, answer my question before I have a heart attack. Will you marry me?" He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest waiting for her decision.

"Oh Mary, if you're sure…then yes! Yes I'll marry you. I love you so much."

Marty opened the box, gently pulled out the ring and put it on her finger.

She looked down and gasped again. "Oh, it's perfect Marty. Where did you find it?" She was looking at the ring with its oval-shaped blue sapphire in the center of three graduated baguette diamonds on each side. "Are those vines on the band and holding the middle stone?"

"Yes. I, um, I designed it and had it made for you."

She looked down at him with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "It's so beautiful. The sapphire matches your eyes. I love it and you so much. You couldn't have picked a better engagement ring for me."

He jumped up and grabbed her around the waist, his face shining and laughter in his eyes. He twirled her around while crowing "You said yes…you said yes! We're getting married. This is the best day of my life!"

Kensi had a huge smile on her face. "Put me down you doofus!"

He put her down while keeping her wrapped up in his arms. His heart was so full, he thought it might explode into a million pieces of light he was so happy. He turned her so her back was to him with his arms wrapped around her as they watched the sun set in all of its glory.

~,~,~

A/N: This is the end of another story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks again nherbie for your wonderful reviewing skills! The story wouldn't have been nearly as good without you.

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